Nothing Hurts Like the Truth, and You
by GenuineQT
Summary: CURRENTLY IN HIATUS: Bex has been missing for two months and Cammie hasn't stopped worrying. It's been four years since Cammie has seen Zach. But when Cammie is assigned to find Bex, old fears, and loves, come back to find her! Can she save Bex, and will she let herself fall in love? Action, romance, and drama. Worth reading! Reviews appreciated, my first FanFic!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Everybody! Thanks for reading my story, this is my first FanFic...please review! **

**I do not own the Gallagher Girls :( Just my story**

Nothing Hurts Like the Truth, and You

Chapter One

I sighed, leaning back in my desk chair. A pile of paperwork sat to the side of my desk, untouched. I pulled out my phone to look at the time. Of course, the spy in me already knew the exact minute. But I knew deep down that I was hoping there was a message from Bex.

The last anyone knew, or was willing to tell me, Bex hadn't made contact with the agency for two months. Or eight weeks, three days, and eighteen hours to be exact. She had gone on a mission to Dublin, Ireland, but the objective of her trip, was classified, even to me.

Before she left, Bex hadn't been any different. She had walked around with the confidence, that only years of spying and Baxter bloodlines could produce. And when she left, I didn't worry any more than usual.

Ever since we graduated from Gallagher; Bex, Liz, Macey, and I were used to being apart. I mean, we're spies; missions are what we do. But last week, Bex's status had changed to MIA, and ever since, I hadn't been able to relax.

Bex had graduated the top of our class at Gallagher. She was the only one of us to get a joint mission from MI6 and the CIA within her first year of working. Bex was smart, strong, and a damn good spy. But since last week, all I could think about was the trouble and danger Bex could be in.

Just then, my computer chimed. It was from Agent Macey McHenry.

-_You, me, and Liz. Dinner and drinks at my place tonight. We need to talk…_ was all it read.

I did start on my mountain of papers, but didn't get very far. As soon as it was early enough to leave work, I did. I wasn't able to focus, and I was anxious to the girls. I practically sprinted out of the CIA headquarters where I worked.

My car was parked close to the building and I quickly got in it. I drove to Macey's on autopilot. Her apartment was in one of the common buildings for CIA agents to live in and was within a couple minutes from my own. But hers was on the top floor, more upscale, and more…Macey.

When the door opened, Macey appeared wearing a black ruffle dress. She looked gorgeous which totally isn't fair, but I've gotten used to it. Macey is the daughter of a cosmetic tycoon and her father has the natural charm that has made him a popular senator. Macey had started late at Gallagher, but she was a descendant of the woman who founded the school, so spying came naturally to her.

Behind her I saw Liz with her black glasses on sitting at Macey's table reprogramming her computer. Liz is a genius at computers; actually she's a genius at everything that doesn't require being coordinated. Liz wasn't a field agent like Macey, Bex, and I. She worked with technology and intelligence and stayed at headquarters most of the time.

"C'mon in," Macy said to me.

I walked in and sat down on Macey's soft, black leather couch. Behind me was a blown up portrait of the four of us at Gallagher. It was all of us in floor-length dresses at Madame Dabney's final exam ball for our last semester. At the time, we knew that the cell belonging to the Circle of Cavan that was after me had been flushed, and we were celebrating.

We all had a look of confidence and happiness on our faces.

Looking up from her computer Liz turned to me with a worried expression.

"Have you heard anything?" she asked.

"No, nobody seems to be worried about her besides us either." I replied. "I mean why hasn't anybody done anything to find her?

"Today Jonas and I looked through the entire CIA database, in search of anything that could lead us to her. And we couldn't find a single piece of useful information. Whatever Bex is doing is so secret they haven't even put it in the computers." Liz told me, with a slight blush when she mentioned Jonas's name.

Macey paced back and forth, "She was in Dublin, that's all we know! But that was two months ago, she could be anywhere, or with anyone by now."

I sighed and ran my fingers through my light brown hair. Then I mentally prepared to ask the question that I knew we were all thinking.

"Do you think it's the Circle?" I asked looking up at the ceiling.

The Circle of Cavan had been after me almost my entire life as a spy. While at Gallagher, they had filled my life with constant fear. They had also taken my dad out of my life. Just thinking about the Circle filled my mind with bad memories and made my stomach queasy.

My senior year at Gallagher had been filled with me and the people who cared about me working non-stop to shut them down. But no matter what we did, the Circle was strong. It had been around for centuries and giving up on me didn't mean much to them. They had multiple targets and bigger goals.

They were still a threat whether I liked it or not. But even if Bex was chasing the Circle, it probably had nothing to do with me. Otherwise the agency would have sent me to risk my life, and not Bex.

Liz gasped, and Macey's piercing eyes met mine. I knew they feared the Circle just as much as I did.

Before either of them could answer my satellite phone vibrated. The satellite phone was for work purposes, so it had to be important. Taking a breath, I looked down. It was from the director of the CIA.

_Ms. Morgan, please report to my office tomorrow at 0700 hours. _

As I read it out loud, I realized this could only mean one thing; a mission.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! First, thank you to all of you who read and reviewed the first chapter! It means so much! If your one of those people who didn't review...thanks for reading, but I would love to get some more feedback! Also, sorry there wasn't, well, any Zach in the first chapter...but he's coming! I promise! Anyways, here's chapter 2! I hope you all enjoy! **

**(disclaimer: I don't own the Gallagher Girls series! obviously)**

Chapter Two

After I received the message from the director, Macey, Liz, and I had begun to talk about what my mission would be, and if, just maybe, it would involve Bex.

"It has to," Liz said, "You know Bex is the best out of all of us, and the director knows that. She's worth rescuing."

"Yeah, but Lizzie, we all know the stories about agents going MIA and the agency basically ignoring them." Macey countered, "Plus, if they were going to send someone on a mission to get Bex, wouldn't they have done it already?"

"Macey! We can't think like that!" I said, "Bex is one of the best operatives MI6 or the CIA has ever seen. They have probably been hoping she could get herself out."

"I know," Macey said her voice quiet. "I'm just so worried."

"Me too," Liz said and behind her glasses I could see tears gathering.

"Guys, I promise that if this mission is about Bex, I'll find her. I promise." I told them.

After that Macey and Liz came and sat on either side of me. I put my arms around them and we were silent. I knew that their thoughts were filled with how Bex should have been here and then the stories of agents who had never come home.

My dad had been one of those agents. And it took years to find out what had happened to him, but that was too painful to think about just then, so I pushed the memories away and got up.

"Come on guys, let's eat." I said to the two of them. At that moment we all silently agreed that we wouldn't talk about Bex, for this might be the last night I was with them for a while.

Now, let me tell you something, Macey may be beautiful. But she is certainly isn't a good cook. And Liz and I weren't in the mood to make something, so we all decided to order Chinese. While we waited Macey filled the silence with stories of her most current string of dates. And in no time, Liz and I were laughing so hard we were crying.

When I finally went home, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to sleep. But the spy in me knew that I needed sleep, and I sleep I did as soon as I got in bed.

At 5:30 my alarm went off. I cursed in Arabic (I think, in the morning my, um, language can vary) and rolled over, groaning. It was entirely too early for anyone to be up.

But then I remembered last night, and jolted up. I had a mission!

I scrambled out of bed. This called for a good breakfast. I opened my fridge, which wasn't small enough to be called a mini-fridge, but certainly not big enough to be considered a refrigerator. I grabbed some Eggo Waffles and threw them in the toaster.

While they were cooking, I went back through my room to my closet. I stood looking at my options for a minute. I went with something that followed along with my usual style.

I picked out a pair of black skinny jeans and then my killer pair of black high heeled boots that Macey had given to me for my birthday. Then I picked a plain white button-down shirt to go on top. It was classic with an edge.

I heard the waffles pop up in the toaster and quickly ran to grab them. Lucky for me I didn't burn them. I scarfed them down along with a glass of OJ and then headed back to my bedroom to get changed.

I slipped on my clothes and zipped up my boots. For my makeup I went with simple mascara and a high ponytail for my hair. Looking in the mirror, I looked like my usual self. Taking a deep breathe I went and grabbed my bag and put my phone on my hip. Taking one last look at my apartment, I closed the door.

I got to work at 6:41. I had easily avoided traffic by taking the back roads through Langley that I knew like I knew the four different ways to kill someone with a stiletto.

But as I strolled into the CIA's lobby, something felt different, off. Fellow agents bustled around me, I didn't get any weird stares so my hair wasn't THAT bad, and I didn't sense danger. But I felt that strange, indescribable feeling all the way to my office.

The CIA knows that field agents hate being, well, spied on. So every agent, no matter their rank, has their own office with a door. Only people who worked in the technology department had cubicles. This was something I loved, especially since Bex's office was right down the hallway, but today I still had that weird feeling, so I left the door open.

I sat down at my computer since I still had a couple of minutes, and I looked around my office. Nothing was out of place, and the picture of me and the girls sat on the corner of my desk at the same angle as always. There weren't any irregular footprints on the floor and no different fingerprints on my keyboard.

But I still couldn't shake that…feeling.

Trying to ignore it I read through the list of agency notices. One was from the cafeteria reminding agents that putting substances such as truth serum in other agents food was against policy.

I smiled to myself, remembering back to a time during our junior year when the four of us girls had done just that. That was when we were desperate to find answers about why the Circle was after me.

Then a thought hit me, maybe this meeting had nothing to do with a mission? No…what else could it be about. I had no idea about why Bex had gone missing; they wouldn't ask me for answers.

Besides, what else would the director want to talk to me about?

I needed a mission, it would give Liz and Macey hope, and I knew that I couldn't handle not doing anything to save Bex much longer.

It was almost seven; I stood up and straightened my clothes in the mirror hanging on the wall. I made sure my ponytail wasn't drooping. Then, I walked out of my office and walked down the long hallway that connected my building to the one the director was in. I had to pass through a full body scan, voice recognition test, and eye scan to just get into the building.

In order to use the elevator to get to the top floor I was required to have my palm scanned and my credentials examined. Finally I was in the elevator; I pressed the button for the top floor.

The elevator was empty and the ride up was short. For some strange reason I felt nervous and the strange feeling I had had all morning amplified. I took a deep breath and rolled my tight shoulder muscles.

I walked out of the elevator and headed toward the directors frosted doors. I tried to ooze the confidence that I knew my black boots deserved.

The secretary to my right nodded at me to enter. I knocked on the door though, to follow protocol and waited until I heard the words, "Enter."

I pushed the door open and the first thing I saw was the director of the CIA sitting behind a massive, cherry colored oak desk.

But the second thing I saw caused all the confidence I had just a moment ago to completely vanish. One of the two chairs sitting in front of the director's desk swiveled to face me. In it sat a guy.

My heart leapt to my throat and my stomach dropped as a pair of green eyes met mine.

"Hello Gallagher Girl."

**Duhn Duhn Duhn Duhn! I'll try to update soon! Thanks for reading, and please please please review! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everybody! Thank you to all who read the last chapter, I hope it made you excited for this one! Special thanks to those who reviewed! Especially Hammsters and Little Miss Sarcastic-Tomboy, you guys don't know how much it means to me for you to say that! Here's chapter 3...it's a little bit longer than the other ones! Enjoy!**

Chapter Three

Zach.

I may not be as smart as Liz, but I know that my brain, like any spy's, is exceptional. But I would swear on anything that in that instant my brain stopped working.

In under a second, a million emotions coursed through my body. My mind was filled with many thoughts, the first one being; _what the hell is he doing here?_ Then, _Zach._

I looked at him and saw a familiar smirk come over his lips. The last time I had seen Zach was over four years ago. If it was possible, he had gotten even hotter. His signature jeans and plain white t-shirt hadn't changed, but he had gotten taller, and his hair was longer.

After taking him in, the spy in me finally kicked in and somehow my legs were able to carry me to the chair next to…him.

I sat down and took a quick breath; I turned to look at him.

"Hello, Zach." Two words. And I was lucky to manage to get that much out.

Even though it had only been seconds since I had walked through the doorway, it felt like eternity. I could feel Zach's eyes on me as I swiveled to face the director.

"Cameron, I do hope you remember Mr. Goode. I've been informed that the two of you have worked together before."

Remember? Of course I did. How could I forget was a more accurate question.

But instead I just nodded and replied, "Yes."

He continued, "Ms. Morgan, as you are aware, Agent Baxter has been MIA for quite some time."

So this _was_ about Bex.

"The agency agrees that the current circumstances do call for us to send in operatives after her. I have reviewed many portfolios and I have chosen the two of you to complete this mission. Tonight both of you will be flying to Dublin. "

I was going to save Bex! With Zach…

Before I could say anything, Zach spoke.

"Sir, I understand that Be-Agent Baxter went MIA two months ago, don't you believe she probably isn't in Dublin anymore?" Zach asked.

"That's for the two of you to find out. Agent Baxter was on a highly classified mission, regarding the Circle of Cavan, which both of you are very familiar with (he gave Zach a look) and we honestly have no idea where she went or why she went off the grid."

I looked at Zach and I knew we were both thinking of the last time we were forced to deal with the Circle.

The director handed us two folders. They each had a CLASSIFIED – LEVEL 4 stamp on the front.

Zach and I opened them at the same time. They were our covers. I began to read mine.

Agent Cameron Ann Morgan

Name:  Emily G. Thomas

Age: 21 (DOB: Oct. 16, 1990)

Hometown: San Diego, CA

Occupation: Student at UVa (semester abroad program)

Cover: Emily is an all-American girl; she is traveling with friend Daniel who is a student with her.

I skimmed my cover. "Daniel" must be Zach. I turned the page and an U.S. passport fell on my lap. I opened it up and found my picture in it, followed by additional information about "Emily". Overall this looked like a cool mission, but this was serious. We had to find Bex.

The director cleared his throat, "Two MI6 agents will meet you in Dublin and give you all the Intel on what Ms. Baxter was doing before she disappeared. They'll also help you settle in. But ultimately, the two of you are on your own. Also, every two or three days you are required to report back here using your secure phones, understand? We don't need three agents MIA."

Zach and I both nodded.

"Yes sir," I said.

"Well, I wish you both the best of luck. Bring Operative Baxter home."

This was obviously our cue to leave. I silently inhaled, knowing that I would probably interact with Zach in just moments.

I slowly stood up, and as I did, Zach did the same. With a final nod toward the director I turned and headed toward the door. I could sense Zach following behind me.

I didn't turn to face him until we were out of the office and down the hallway a ways so that the secretary wouldn't hear us.

When I finally did stop and look at him, he smirked and leaned up against the wall, his arms crossed.

"What, no hug? Didn't you miss me, Gallagher Girl?" he asked.

I didn't know what to say. The last time I had seen Zach had been years ago. Both of us had needed space and time to absorb everything that had happened.

"I didn't know that you were working for the CIA." was all I said.

"Spy," Zach said while pointing to himself, just like old times. "Plus I've never been the suburban, family type, now have I Gallagher Girl?"

At the mention of family I mentally cringed and I know that Zach did too.

"You can stop calling me that, Zach. I graduated from Gallagher four years ago."

"I know," Zach said stepping closer to me. If possible my heart sped up even more. "You never answered my question. Did you miss me?"

"Zach," I whispered. My eyes searched his. So much had happened between us, but there was still a connection. I could feel it pulsing between us like electricity.

But then I tore my eyes away from him and looked down.

"I've got to go," I mumbled. This was all too much. I started walking away.

Zach just stood there watching me. When I reached the elevator I turned around to look at him.

He called, "I'll pick you up at eight." Then he smirked, "Gallagher Girl."

The elevator arrived and before opening required a retinal scan. I turned and let the laser scan my eye. I turned and allowed the laser to scan my eye. Once it recognized me, I stepped into the elevator and pressed the down button.

I watched as the doors closed and separated Zach and I. The first time I had ever talked to Zach had been in an elevator.

I leaned back against the railing and looked up at the ceiling which showed my reflection.

_Zach_. It seemed like his name was the only thing I could process.

The last time I'd seen him…I shuddered. The last time I'd seen him, he had just killed his mother.

Before me, the elevator doors opened. I quickly made my way back to my office. I still had the cover file tucked under my arm.

As soon as I was in my office, I closed and locked the door behind me. Gazing out my window at the Potomac, I realized I needed someone to talk to. I made my way to my desk, sat down, and used the phone to dial Macey.

"Hello?" she picked up on the second ring.

"Hey, um it's me." I said.

"Cam! How did your meeting go with the director?" she asked.

"I, uh, got a mission…to find Bex," I told her hesitantly.

"Oh good! Don't worry Cam; you'll be able to find her." Macey said reassuringly. "Are you heading to Dublin? And when?"

"Yeah, and I'm leaving tonight," I took a breath, "There's one more thing."

"Yeah? Cammie, what is it?" Macey sounded nervous.

"They're sending someone with me." I said slowly.

"Oooh, really? Is it a guy? Cammie c'mon who is it?" Macey started getting exasperated.

"It's a guy," I told her, "Its Zach."

There was a long pause on the other end of the phone. "Zach?" Macey finally asked.

"Yep, the one and only," I said, and then sighed loud enough for her to hear.

"Oh wow, Cam."

"Yeah, you can imagine what it was like for me to walk in and see him sitting there with the director." I laughed, but it wasn't funny.

"Well…is he still hot?"

"Macey! I haven't seen him since we graduated!"

"Cammie…what did you say to him?"

"Well, he asked me if I missed him and I didn't really answer. And he still calls me Gallagher Girl." I said, and I found myself smiling at the last sentence…?

"Aww, Cam! He obviously missed you!" Macey said with a slight squeal.

"Macey, I have to focus on finding Bex… But can you come over and help me pack at like six?" I asked her, trying to change the subject.

"Of course, of course," Macey said. "Do you know if Zach is still in the building though? I'd like to get a good look at him."

"No Macey," I said with fake annoyance.

"Fine," she said and then we hung up. While I had been on the phone, a new notice had popped up on my computer.

I opened an email that had our flight time and plane ticket attached. I printed it out.

Then leaning back in my desk chair, I picked up the phone to call Liz.

Things were about to get really interesting.

**Well! What do you think? Tell me in a review! It's so hard writing the parts with Zach and Cammie... Thanks for reading! I'll update soon! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Heyyy! Sorry that it's been a couple days! Again, thank you sooooo much to everyone who's reading and reviewing! :D I love you guys! Sorry but this chapter's shorter than the previous ones. Originally it was gonna be longer, but I moved part of it into the next chapter, which is coming soon! I hope you still like it though...and remember to review!**

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><p>Chapter Four<p>

I left work a little before five. I didn't have any new paperwork since I was going on a mission, but I still had to update my status with the agency, stop my mail, ect.

I didn't see Zach at all, which was kind of weird, not that I had anything to say to him.

On the way home it occurred to me that Zach had implied that he knew where I lived. _He probably had Jonas get my address_, I thought. _I wonder how long he has been in town._ If Macey or Liz had seen him, they would have told me for sure.

When I arrived at my apartment, I made my way up the stairs and unlocked the door. I set my keys in their usual spot and glanced around.

My bed was still in the disarray that I had left it in this morning. Everything was as it should be.

I grabbed a granola bar from my cabinet, and then went to get my suitcase.

I tossed the suitcase on my bed and went to my closet. Gosh, I needed Macey. Normally I would throw in whatever but, Zach was coming…

After an increasingly frustrating 45 minutes, my doorbell rang. I practically tackled Macey when I opened the door.

"Oh, thank God you're here! I have no idea what to take! Have you ever been to Dublin in September?" I asked.

Laughing, Macey maneuvered out of my hug.

"Chill Cammie, I've got you covered. But I know that 'the weather' is not what you're so stressed out about." Macey said with a wink.

I rolled my eyes. Macey knew me too well. Avoiding eye contact with her, I let her follow be back to my room, which looked like my closet had exploded. And trust me, I know. In 9th grade Liz accidentally forgot to take an armed bomb out of our shared closet and well, it exploded.

Without batting an eye, Macey got to work, digging through piles of clothes to put outfits together.

"Are you wearing that on the plane?" Macey asked while nodding to my outfit.

"Nah, I think I'll just wear jeans and comfy top. I **am** supposed to be a college student."

"Then take off your boots and let me pack them. They make your legs looking amazing, so you're for sure taking them."

I followed Macey's orders and sat on the floor as she filled my suitcase.

Every once and a while she would ask me about where such-and-such was, but the rest of the time we chatted.

"Is it weird for me to still have…feelings about Zach?" I asked her.

"Of course not! You two were really close," Macey said, "and he really cared about you."

"I know, but what we had…our relationship is gone."

"Are you sure about that?" Macey asked me, cocking an eyebrow.

"No." I didn't even try to lie to her. "But I don't think he wants…us back. That was a different time in our lives, and we both have grown up, or at least I have." I fiddled with a scarf on the floor.

Macey didn't say anything. She just zipped up the suitcase and came and sat down next to me.

"Cam, Zach loved you. And I would be willing to bet money he still does deep down. But so many things happened that got in the way of that. You guys have a lot to work out."

Sighing, I turned to her, "What would I do without you?" I asked.

"Be arrested by the fashion police." Macey said. But then she turned serious. "No matter what happens between you and Zach though, promise me you'll bring Bex home."

"I swear I will, Mace." Then we got up off the floor and I gave her a hug.

"Well, my job here is finished. Be careful Cam, and remember what I said, okay?" Macey looked me in the eye.

"Kay." I said as I walked her to the door. "See ya." I said with a half-smile.

"See ya," and with that, Macey headed out.

At seven, Liz stopped by for a little bit. She implanted a tracking device in my arm and gave me a back-up phone along with a heavy duty laptop. I would electronically report to Liz on a regular basis using secure networks.

When she left, Liz looked about to cry, but I reassured her that Bex and I would be fine.

We didn't mention Zach until the end.

"Tell Zach I said hi," she told me as we were saying goodbye.

"I will, take care of Macey for me, alright?"

"Definitely." And then Liz gave me a strong hug that I didn't know a person her size was possibly capable of.

After the door closed behind Liz, I began to mentally prepare. My bags were packed, I was dressed, and I had my lucky watch-slash-GPS-slash-camera-slash-listening device.

Now it was time to wait for Zach.

**I promise to have the next chapter up soon, probably tomorrow! But until then, please review! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Since you all are such awesome readers...as promised here's chapter five! I have a bunch of test/projects this week so I probably won't update till Thursday. But until then, here's a little something to entertain you! Thanks again to everybody who reads and writes those awesome reviews! ;) And for those of you who just read...please review! It helps me write and let's me know that you like (or hate) the story! You guys are amazing, and I hope you like it! **

**Disclaimer: I'm not Ally Carter, and I don't own the Gallagher Girls (or Zach)... just my story!**

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><p>Chapter Five<p>

At 8:02 there was a knock on my door. I glanced at myself in the hall mirror and then opened my apartement door.

Zach stood there with his hands in his pockets, smirking.

"You're late," was all I managed. Why was I so freaking tongue tied around this guy!

Ignoring me, Zach walked past me into my apartment, and started looking around.

"No Zach, I'm ready to leave. Let's go."

"So this is where my Gallagher Girl lives."

"First off, I'm not 'yours' and second, I didn't invite you in. Now let's go!"

Raising his hands in surrender he walked out. I followed behind, lugging my suitcase.

Closing the door to my apartment, I walked behind Zach. After a few steps, he turned around, and before I was able to protest, grabbed my bag. Then he waved his hand for me to continue on in front.

"Where are my manners?" Zach said, with a smirk of course.

"Um…okay," I said and I kept walking, trying not to notice how effortlessly his muscular arms were able to carry my bag down the stairs.

As we reached the parking lot I allowed Zach to take the lead. He walked up to a dark black Jaguar.

Raising an eyebrow at him, I pointedly looked at his car. How could he afford this on a government salary?

"My intelligence pays well," was all he said.

That comment reminded me that I had no idea what he had been doing for the past four years. Liz told me that the CIA had nothing in their system about him, but yet, here he was.

I opened the passenger door and slid inside. The car overwhelmed me with a familiar smell that I used to simply call Zach.

When I was younger and Zach and I were in our complicated relationship, the smell of his soap and shampoo used to always calm me and give me a feeling of safety.

But when life happened I had learned how to not depend on that comfort, or anyone. Zach had too, and we both moved on without each other. But there was a tiny piece of me that just now, was calmed by his scent.

Zach turned out of the parking lot and started driving to Dulles.

After a couple minutes of rather uncomfortable silence he turned to me.

"What are you thinking about, Gallagher Girl?"

Like I was going to tell him what was really going through my mind.

"The mission…and Bex," I replied instead. If he knew I was lying, he didn't say anything.

"The four of you girls really stayed close, didn't you." He stated.

"Yeah, they really have been there for me through everything, and I like to think that I've done the same for them." I said. "What about you, did you keep in touch with Jonas or Grant?"

I saw Zach pause before answering. "I saw Jonas for the first time today since graduation. And I've kept loosely in touch with Grant. But after all…it…went down; I didn't just grow apart from you."

We both looked at each other. His beautiful emerald eyes held my gaze for a moment, but there was a kind of sadness in them. A sadness that I knew I could never fix.

We then drove in silence a little ways. I looked out my window to see the headlights and taillights of the cars racing down the interstate with us.

Everybody had somewhere to be and was completely oblivious to the two spies driving toward what could be the biggest mission of their lives.

I snuck a look at Zach. His face was relaxed, but with that slight smirk that always got to me. I'd give anything to know what he was thinking.

"Soo," I said. "How did you know where I lived?"

The smirk grew wider. "Spy," he said using one hand to point to himself. One thing hadn't changed; Zach could still manage to but the crap out of me with a single syllable.

"Zach, I know you are a spy, hence you being here. But what have you really been doing since the last time I saw you?"

"That's classified." Zach told me. But when he saw the frown of frustration on my face he grew serious. "After I last saw you, and everything with my mom went down, I did my best to work to get as much of the circle infiltrated as possible."

Finally, something informative, "How successful were you?" I asked.

"Oh Gallagher Girl, I thought you knew me better. I'm always successful. Actually, I managed to get rid of most of the circle in the northeastern United State."

Okay, so maybe, just maybe, I was impressed by that. He had managed to do what several agents had been attempting for decades. But there was no way I would tell him that.

When I didn't respond, he threw the spotlight on me.

"So what have you been doing, you know, besides missing me?"

I rolled by eyes. "After graduation I joined the CIA, obviously, and since that I've gone on a few minor missions to the Middle East and Africa. But it's been mostly pretty boring. I guess that makes me lucky, right?"

Zach was silent. My last question was one that couldn't be answered. Spies are meant for missions and danger, but danger was something that made living a full life difficult. And missions were the reason many spies never saw their family or friends again.

"What about your mom?" Zach asked.

"She's still at Gallagher," I said. "Making sure her next generation of girls can kick Blackthorne's butt." And with that I smiled at him.

"I'm pretty sure that it ends up the other way around. If I remember correctly, I'm the one who made you in D.C." he countered with a sideways smile.

I laughed, remembering back to when my sophomore class had gotten to go head to head with Blackthorne boys, on a CoveOps field trip. The first time I met him, I had mistaken Zach for an innocent civilian and he had gotten the best of me. That was the last time I had allowed a boy to fool me.

At that instant a car cut us off and Zach slammed on the brakes. I gripped the handle on the door and I heard Zach say a few choice words in Farsi.

The lighthearted mood that had been in the car just seconds ago disappeared. When I looked at Zach he was tense. I decided not to say anything; there was still unfamiliarity between us.

By now we were almost to the airport. We exited and found a parking spot in the massive main building of Dulles International Airport. Then sun had already set, so before getting out of the car I pulled my jacket tight around me.

Zach was already around back, pulling bags out of the car.

As he easily maneuvered my suitcase onto the pavement he caught my eye.

"Hey I'm sorry about earlier," he said to me earnestly.

"Look, don't apologize, it's nothing." I told him.

And with that Zach gave me that adorable half-smile.

"You ready Gallagher Girl?" he asked me as he slung his duffle bag over his shoulder.

"Yeah," I responded. My mission with Zach was officially beginning.

**Haha! The excitement is building! Thanks for reading...and please review! (I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record) **

**:D**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everybody! So sorry for not updating on my regular schedule! I'm finally out of school, but I've had a cold and haven't really felt like staring at a computer screen! But I promise I'll get back to updating every other day or so! Anyway, here's chapter six! I hope you like it! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Gallagher Girls series, or Zachary Goode :(**

Chapter Six

It was 8:36 at night. And the airport was packed. Zach's and my mission had officially started. My sense were in overdrive; taking in faces and conversations.

Zach wasn't fazed at all. He moved through the crowd with a relaxed ease. And I went into full Chameleon mode.

The line for check-in took a few minutes, probably since we were flying internationally. I wasn't worried at all though; we had plenty of time.

I listened as a German couple in the line next to us playfully bickered. They looked to be Zach and my age, but their faces didn't have a care in the world. Just two people in love about to go on an adventure, I thought, as the girl threw her arms around the guy and reached up to kiss him.

Our turn at the counter came and I reminded myself that I was just an average college girl. The lady behind the desk was pleasant and soon enough Zach and I continued on through the airport.

We easily chatted all the way through security, mostly about things we made up off the top of our heads.

By the time we made it to the gate, I was starving. There was hardly anybody in our section of the airport, and the few people who were there were typing on laptops or napping.

I walked over to the big glass window to look at the plane. I put my hand up to the glass and it was cold to my touch. I changed my focus to look at the reflection. Zach was standing behind me. We locked eyes in the reflection.

This time, Zach broke the gaze.

"You wanna go get something to eat?"

"Yeah, I'm starving, Daniel." Not calling him Zach felt so weird. But such was life undercover.

We strolled over to a café, where there was only a few other people. I made note of a man in the corner that was on the phone discussing building estimates.

I ordered a wrap and Zach got a deli sandwich. As we paid for our food, the lady behind the counter apparently felt the need to chat with us.

"Well, well, where are you two young ones heading to?" she asked.

I gave Zach a smile and then turned to answer her, "We're going to Dublin to study abroad." I told her.

"Oh my! How exciting! What a great opportunity." The lady gushed to us.

"Oh yes," Zach said, "we are quite ecstatic." There was no sign of his usual smirk.

After paying we headed back to the gate. I threw my backpack down at my feet and immediately dug into my wrap. Zach sat in a chair across from me and leaned back.

I noticed Zach hadn't pulled out his sandwich yet, "Aren't you hungry?" I managed to ask around a mouth filled with food; not very smooth, but whatever.

Zach noticed and raised his eyebrows.

"Obviously some more time with Madame Dabney would do you some good." He said.

Blushing slightly, I continued to chew. Zach finally pulled his food and ate, all the while keeping his intense gaze fixed on me.

As I finished my sandwich, a voice came over the speaker system.

"_We will now be boarding flight 237 to Dublin at Gate 17."_

I gave Zach a look; that was our flight. We stood up and grabbed our backpacks, as we walked by a trashcan, I threw my trash away.

"Are you excited, Emily?" Zach asked me as we stood in line.

"Oh definitely, this is going to be my first time outside the country." I responded. And then I gave a smile to the lady standing behind us who seemed a little too interested in our conversation.

"Not me," Zach continued obviously following my lead, "my parents took me to Mexico after my high school graduation."

"Lucky," I kept going, "You had adventurous parents. The farthest I ever traveled from San Diego was to go skiing in Vermont with my aunt and uncle."

By now, the lady behind us seemed to lose interest. Zach and I kept talking though, about our 'classes'.

Soon enough, we were on the plane. Our seats were toward the middle of the plane, so as we passed rows, waiting for people to try to cram their bags in the overhead, I memorized faces. Many of them were familiar from waiting at the gate. But none of them looked suspicious; of course a spy can never be too careful.

Zach and I reached our row. Being a gentleman, Zach let me have the window seat.

I tried to gracefully squeeze in. I failed pretty miserably, but oh well. I managed to sit and get buckled.

The person who had the seat next to Zach and I arrived shortly. It was a woman, probably in her early thirties at my best guess. She was on the phone, talking in a thick Irish accent. Whatever she was discussing was obviously important because she didn't give the two of us a second look.

The plane waited a while before pulling away from the gate. Zach was getting anxious, I could tell. So many things could be causing the plane to delay, most of them bad for us. I tried my best to stay patient.

Finally we started moving, the plane began to taxi out to the runway and out of the corner of my eye I saw Zach physically relax.

I watched as the plane rolled past other jumbo jets still at their gates. We passed guys in orange safety vests and I saw kids with their faces pressed up against the glass windows watching the planes.

Zach leaned toward me to see out the window. I looked at him for a second and then went back to gazing out the glass. The stars were just coming out overhead. As we left the airport area I sat back in my seat, and closed my eyes.

The engines of the plane began to roar and we began to rapidly speed down the runway. The plane jounced and then it became smooth. The aircraft climbed in the air and I looked out to see Washington beneath us.

There were the lights of the city below us, and the shining stars above. As we flew above the world, I felt anything was possible.

The Pros and Cons of an Airplane Trip with Zachary Goode

Pro: Trans-Atlantic flights mean lots of time being near a particular hot spy guy.

Con: Being near said guy does a lot to a girl's thoughts and emotions.

Pro: Zach's arm makes a great pillow for sleeping.

Con: Things are very awkward when both of you wake up.

Con: Zach gets to see what your hair looks like after waking up.

Pro: You get to see Zach's adorable smile he has after just waking up.

Zach and I slept most of the six hour flight. I had awakened to find my head resting against Zach's extremely muscular arm. As I lifted my head, he woke up too.

"Sleep well, Gallagher Girl?" He asked me with a sleepy smile that made my heart melt, if only for a moment.

"Mmm, don't call me that Daniel," was my response.

The use of Zach's cover name seemed to bring him to reality. He stretched and gave a yawn.

"What time is it?"

"Almost-"

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We will be beginning our descent into Dublin in just a moment. Please fasten your seatbelts and remain seated." The pilot with a thick accent cut me off.

"Eleven." I finished.

Zach nodded. "Do you know where we will be meeting our friends?" he asked. By friends, I knew he meant the two MI6 agents that were supposed to give us Intel.

"We are meeting them this afternoon at a park near University College Dublin." I told him. To anyone listening, this was a perfectly normal conversation for two college students to have.

The plane began to lose altitude. I looked out at the green Irish countryside. We were slowly being drawn back down to earth.

As the wheels of the plane hit the runway, I smiled to myself. We were going to find Bex, and nothing could stop me.

**Okay, so what did you think! Tell me in a review! Thanks for reading! **

**P.S. I'm gonna try to make Dublin as realistic as possible, but I've never been there...so in future chapters go ahead and point things out if they're wrong!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay guys, here's chapter seven! I hope you like...sorry if the plot is moving kind of slow, there will probably be like 30 chapters to the story. Thank you for all the sweet reviews, and it makes me so happy to know that people like my story! Alright, I'll make this a short note since I know you want to get on to the story!**

**Disclaimer: I'm not Ally Carter. **

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><p>Chapter Seven<p>

Stepping into the Dublin airport gave me a sort of thrill inside.

The terminal was filled with people rushing around, most of them speaking in British or Irish accents. My spy instincts were in high gear, I was relaxed and ready to blend in.

From behind me, I heard Zach speak in an Irish accent. He leaned so his mouth was close to my ear and as he spoke, it sent a chill down my spine.

"Welcome to Ireland, Gallagher Girl."

I didn't respond, instead smiling I started walking to the baggage claim. We easily moved through the business men with briefcases and women with toddlers. I scanned faces in the crowd, all the while taking everything in.

Shockingly, our bags were on time. Apparently Irish airlines are more reliable than American ones. Zach and I grabbed our bags and then headed through customs.

Our fake IDs and passport easily sailed through security. When asked if we had anything to declare, Zach did give a sarcastic smirk, but I replied no to the man scanning our papers.

After a brief argument, we decided to rent a car under Zach's, or Daniel's I should say, name. It was a small silver sedan that was guaranteed not to stand out anywhere.

We flipped for it and I got to drive. It was weird driving on the left side of the road, but I adjusted pretty easily. My best friend was British after all. Zach made sure we weren't being tailed and gave me directions to the hotel we had reservations at. Unfortunately of all the things Zachary Goode is smooth at, giving directions is for sure not one of them.

"Turn right, now!" he half yelled at me.

I quickly swerved, almost hitting another car but making the turn.

"God Zach, could you please help me out a little more here?" There was a frustrated tone in my voice.

"Jeez Cam, sorry. This map is horrible."

Trying not to roll my eyes, I kept driving. There was no way anyone could follow us with our erratic driving.

By some miracle, we made it to the hotel. I pulled into the parking garage that was adjacent to the building and sighed in fake exasperation. Zach just got out of the car.

The agency had made a reservation of the two of us under our cover names already.

"Names?" the receptionist asked.

"Emily Thomas and Daniel Chase," I told her.

"Oh yes, here we are. Rooms 410 and 412." The lady informed us after clicking around on her computer for a moment.

I felt a wave of relief, we had separate rooms. There was no way I was ready to deal with sharing a room with Zach.

"Thanks," I said as I grabbed the two keys the receptionist was holding out to me.

"So which room do you want?" I asked Zach while we waited for the elevator.

"I guess I'll take 410 and you can have 412."

"Cool," I said as the elevator doors opened.

"Okay so I'll contact Liz and she should know what time we should meet our contacts." I confirmed with Zach.

"Alright sounds good, Gallagher Girl," Zach said with his usual smirk.

The elevator reached our floor and we made our way to our separate rooms.

"If you need anything I'll be right next door or if you don't need anything…" Zach finished his sentence with a wink.

"I think I've got it…Zachy." I replied with a smirk.

Before he could even dream of responding, I slipped inside my room and shut the door.

Was he trying to flirt with me? What was that back there? Stop it, I told myself, I needed to focus on our mission…and not let Zach distract me.

First things first, I swept the room for bugs. It was clear. There I hooked up the laptop Liz had given me and powered it up. Using a secure server, I sent her message to the CIA headquarters.

_Liz, Zach and I are in Dublin, no tails so far. We need the meeting and contact information._

Instantly there was a response.

_Cam, Two MI6 agents will find you in the park next to University College Dublin at 1600 hours. Your code word for the meeting is…adorable kittens…?_

Adorable kittens? What type of code word was that? I was definitely going to let Zach use this one.

_Cameron: Okay, still no word from Baxter?_

_Liz: Negative._

I shut the lid of the computer, and then there was a knock on my door. Except, it wasn't coming from the door that led to the hallway…it was from the room next door to me. The connecting door.

Unbolting the door, I swung it open and Zach walked in.

"So what the word from our friends in the States?"

"Um, no word from Bex, so we will be meeting the MI6 agents at 4:00 near the University College Dublin. Oh yeah, and our code word is 'adorable kittens'.

A look came over Zach like he had just heard a really funny joke.

"Adorable kittens? I think I've got this one." He said after a moment.

Great, I was sure to regret this.

"Okay, whatever Zach. We've just got to find Bex."

"I know, Cam. Grant will kick my ass if I don't."

"So Grant still has a thing for Bex?" I asked with a smirk. Grant and Bex had spent months flirting back in high school but I figured nothing happened after graduation.

"I never said that. Us Blackthorne boys can get any girl we want." Zach smirked back.

"Hmm, I'm not so sure about that." I quipped. "Now I'm kicking you out, I'm going to shower and change and then we'll regroup." I walked over to the door between our rooms.

Zach decided not to test me and obediently walked back to his room. I bolted and chained the door, but I took my clothes to the bathroom with me. I wasn't about to doubt Zach's ability to pick locks.

A hot shower was amazing, especially after the whirlwind of the past 36 hours. It was soothing to unwind in the steam.

An hour later, I was dressed, in an outfit paired with flat brown boots chosen by Macey. My light brown hair was in loose natural waves, and I felt amazing. The wonders of a shower.

There was the sound of running wonder next door, so I figured Zach was in the shower. Trying my best to push away the thoughts that got conjured up, I decided to eat something. I pulled an energy bar from my backpack. The time difference was not doing wonders for my eating schedule.

Walking and chewing, I went over to my window. I pulled the curtain aside and the sunlight poured in. Below was a busy street with many cars and pedestrians. I glanced at the building across the way. For just a moment, the glare of a reflection blinded me. It came from a window on the third floor, but when I looked again, it was empty. Mentally making a note, I closed the curtain.

Since I had decided to give Zach fifteen minutes from the time I heard the water turnoff, I still had nine minutes to burn.

To prevent another disaster while driving, I pulled out a map of Dublin and figured out our destination. Also, I made notes of street names and landmarks to familiarize myself with the city.

Finally, I grabbed my jacket, phone, and wallet and went to knock on Zach's door. First I unbolted my door, and then I reached to knock on his door.

Before my knuckles could hit the wood, the door swung open.

"How pleasant of you to knock Gallagher Girl. You ready to go?" I couldn't help but notice the way Zach looked me over.

"Yeah, how about you?" I looked at him.

His hair was still a little damp, and he was wearing a fresh pair of jeans and a red polo shirt. It was totally unfair of him to be so naturally hot, but he was.

In return of my gaze, Zach smirked. He turned around and walked over to the desk inside his room. I followed in behind him. He opened a black case and pulled out two comms units. Placing one in his ear, he gave the other to me.

"Just in case," he explained.

I took it and put it in my ear. Then dug around in a small bag and drew out a silver necklace with a delicate heart pendant.

I raised my eyebrow; clearly I was supposed to wear this.

"It has a recording device inside so we can send the conversation back to headquarters." Zach told me.

He moved so he was standing behind me, and I lifted my hair so he could clasp the necklace behind my neck. Zach's fingers bushed the nape of my neck, just about my shirt collar and I had to force myself not to shiver. I was glad he couldn't see my face for I felt blood rush to my cheeks.

I quickly recovered though, and I took the knife Zach handed me and tucked it in my boot. Then I watched as he slipped a small handgun into the back of his belt underneath his shirt.

We were ready.

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><p><strong>What did you think! I'd also love to hear ideas for what should happen during the mission! Do you want more Zammie or more action? It would rock if I made it to 30 reviews with this chapter ;) Thanks!<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**Well guys we made it to 30 reviews! Thank you, thank you to everybody who reads this story and reviews, I love you guys! Okay so here's chapter eight, I do hope you like it. I'm for sure taking all of your suggestions to consideration so make sure to keep 'em coming!**

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><p>Chapter Eight<p>

"So we have no idea what these two agents look like?" Zach asked me.

"Right, no clue," I responded.

"Okay, so if…anything happens, we'll try to meet back here."

"Yeah," I said, "since we really don't have any other place to meet."

Zach nodded, "Okay Gallagher Girl, let's go find Bex. We'll leave now so we can take an indirect route." He didn't say it as a question.

"We'll it's probably going to be indirect with your navigation skills." I smirked. Zach glared. "Just saying."

Zach's glare turned to a laugh; it was good to see him smile.

I tossed him the keys and he easily caught them with one hand. Then I walked out of the room with Zach following. We made our way to the garage. As I stepped off the elevator to go to the car I noticed Zach sweep his eyes over the garage. It wasn't debatable that Zach had good instincts, and I knew I could trust him

Opening the passenger side door of our rental car, I slid in. Zach's door slammed shut at the same time mine did.

Zach drove out of the parking garage. Our hotel was in the central part of the city, and the college was in the southern section of Dublin, so we did have a ways to go. We weaved around a bit, and passed the Dublin Castle. I again imagined what it would be like if Zach and I were here in a different time, under a different set of circumstances, in a different life. But we weren't and it's not like I could change that.

After driving around for about fifteen minutes, we arrived at the college. There was a huge green park area next to the campus. Looking at Zach, I stepped out of the car and slammed the door. Zach got out and squinted.

"Hopefully these guys know who to look for." He noted.

"I guess we should just walk around the park."

Zach and I started to stroll along a path. We still had ten minutes before the meeting was supposed to officially take place. I watched as a group of co-eds played Frisbee. It was beautiful outside and a slight breeze gently blew my hair off my shoulders.

"Nobody here seems to be a MI6 agent." I said.

"Ahh Emily, appearances can be deceiving," was Zach's reply. A smirk played across his lips.

"You think I don't know that? I'm a good spy Zach." I crossed my arms.

"I never said you weren't. Besides you're the infamous Chameleon; the girl who blend in anywhere. If you don't want to be seen nobody sees you, except for me." Zach said while still scanning the park.

I looked at him, "Why is that Zach? How come you notice _me_?" But before Zach could respond, I saw them. And so did he.

A guy and girl were heading this way. It was 4:00, it had to be them.

As the got within earshot, Zach turned and spoke to me.

"Hey Em, you forgot to show me those pictures of those adorable kittens your cat Suzie had." Then he smirked.

The nerve of him, I thought, but I didn't say anything because the tall, blond guy who was walking by with the girl stopped.

"Did you say your cat just had kittens?" he asked in a sexy accent. His fair skin and blue eyes were paired with a smile that could melt any girl's heart.

I laughed and smiled. Zach looked at the guy skeptically.

"Yes and they're super cute," I said in a somewhat gleeful voice. This had to be the two MI6 agents.

The girl spoke. "That's so cool. My dog, Langley, just had puppies." The girl was about an inch taller than me with deep auburn hair and hazel eyes. She had a light smattering of freckles across her perfect skin. In a word, she was beautiful. And she was looking at Zach in a way that made me slightly uncomfortable.

I glanced at Zach, these were definitely them.

Just to make sure, I asked them a question. "You know we've been walking around this park looking for a friend of mine, Rebecca, do you know her?"

The guy looked at his partner and then outstretched a hand to Zach.

"Mr. Riley O'Donnell and this is my partner Jane Bowen. We are indeed interested in your friend Rebecca."

Zach took Riley's hand. "Zachary Goode and this is Cameron Morgan. We were told you had information to give us." Zach then reached to shake Jane's hand who looked a little too excited.

As Jane was grasping Zach's hand Riley reached his hand to grab mine. "Pleasure," he said. Gosh his accent was cute.

After all the formalities were out of the way, I became serious.

"So what do you know about Bex's, or Operative Baxter's I should say, disappearance?"

Riley spoke. "Rebecca was working to bring down a recruiter for the Circle of Cavan, basically someone who convinces spies or future spies to become double agents. This recruiter had been tracked to Dublin. Rebecca had been following him and trying to get an identity, and then she disappeared."

"You obviously think the Circle captured her then?" I asked.

Jane grimaced, "Most likely, that would explain her lack of contact. And we aren't aware of anyone else who would have a reason to take her."

"Well where should we begin to look for her then?" this time Zach asked the question.

"Rebecca's only contact we are aware of is a man by the name William Taylor. He had connections within the Circle." Riley informed us.

Zach's face paled slightly, I made note to ask him about it later.

"How can we contact Taylor?"

Jane gave a quick glance at Riley before speaking. "We have a safe house on campus here, come by tomorrow and we will have a way for your to reach Taylor. We can also give you the files Rebecca had been accessing."

Riley slipped Zach a piece of paper. I assumed it had an address on it.

"Oh and here's a flash drive with all emails and communications that Operative Rebecca sent or received." Jane told me. "It really was a pleasure." As she hugged me she gave me the device. Zach and I nodded our goodbyes and Jane, along with Riley began to walk away from us.

I fingered the flash drive in my pocket. Please lead us to Bex, I silently pleaded.

Zach turned to face me; I noticed he glanced at Jane as she strode off with Riley.

"What do you want to do now Cam?" he asked.

Thinking a moment, I didn't answer. I took in the green of the park and the massive trees.

"I guess we go back to the hotel and read over the emails. That's really all we can do." My voice dropped to a whisper at the last part.

Zach looked into my eyes. "Cammie, we are going to find her. The mission just started, you can't expect to have made much progress in just a day. C'mon let's go back to the hotel." He reached out and squeezed my shoulder. Oddly, the touch of his hand provided some comfort.

I inhaled and nodded. "Let's go."

On the ride back to the hotel I leaned my head against the window and watched the streets of Dublin pass by.

At one point I looked in the mirror and saw a black SUV behind us. That car, it was familiar. I swear I had seen it before. We were almost to the hotel, if it was a tail; I needed to alert Zach so we could lose it. Before I could though, the car turned on the street before ours. A flood of relief filled me, but I knew to make sure to look for it again.

Zach followed me back to my room without saying a word. He shut and chained the door as I rush to plug the drive into my computer. Files began to appear on the screen, most of them looked like copies of emails. I decided to start with the oldest and work to the most recent ones.

I felt Zach walk up behind me and put his hands on the back of the chair I was sitting in.

But I wasn't paying any attention to him. As I quickly read through the first email my eyes widened.

"Whoa," I breathed my voice barely audible.

"What is it?" Zach bent down to peer at the screen.

"Look," I told him as I pointed to my computer.

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><p><strong>Oh yes, a cliffy...sorry but I had to...hehehe. It looks like I'll have chapter nine up the day after Christmas, sort of like a late Christmas present! Speaking of which, I hope you all have a great holiday! :D<strong>

**P.S. All I want for Christmas is...reviews! ;) Hahaha**


	9. Chapter 9

**Well, I hope you all had a great holiday, I sure did! I know it was cruel to leave you with a cliffy at the end of the last chapter, but I think this one will make up for it! Consider this your present from me to you! Thanks again for all the sweet reviews, they made my day! Keep it up!**

**Disclaimer: Ally Carter didn't give me Zach or the Gallagher Girls for Christmas :(**

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><p>Chapter Nine<p>

"No way, that's not possible," Zach whispered. I have seen Zach genuinely shocked only on a handful of occasions, and this was one of them.

"How is this right? How did we have no idea?" I asked to myself, but out loud.

Zach got up and began pacing the room. He started muttering under his breath in a language I couldn't make out. I didn't say anything, just watched him pace back and forth. Suddenly he stopped and across the room met my eyes.

"Cammie, why didn't he tell us?"

"I don't know Zach, I don't know." I raked my fingers through my hair.

"Cam," there was a tone of complete disbelief in Zach's voice, like what he was saying was beyond impossible. "Joe Solomon, our Joe Solomon, had a son?"

Hearing it out loud sent my mind back into a complete tailspin. I could tell Zach was feeling the same thing I was because a look of confusion covered his face. A cute look of confusion, I might add.

Joseph Solomon was one of the best spies I had ever known, and that was saying something. He had died the year after Zach and I finished school. But the things he had taught me in and out of Gallagher had made me the spy I was today. When he was young, he had been my father's best friend. And after my dad died, Mr. Solomon was a good friend to my mom. He had taught CoveOps at Gallagher, and then during my junior year, I found Joe had joined the Circle of Cavan at the age of sixteen. The Circle of Cavan was responsible for killing my dad, and at the time, they were after me. But he had done everything he could to fix his mistakes. He viciously took down the Circle, and protected me, until eventually it cost him his life.

And Zach. Joseph Solomon was like the father Zach had never had. I could only imagine how much it hurt Zach to lose him.

But both of us had thought we knew Joe Solomon pretty well. Or at least as much as you "knew" people in our line of work. Zach and I had both trusted Joe Solomon with our lives and thought we knew his biggest secret, the Circle of Cavan, so how could we not know that he had a son?

Zach put his face in his hands.

"Why didn't he tell me?" he murmured. But I knew it wasn't a question I could answer.

Turning back to the email I reread it, It was dated the end of May.

**Ms. Baxter,**

** You don't know me, in fact not many people do. But I know who you are. You could say that I'm in you line of work. I know that you have a mission from the CIA to take down the CoC recruiter best known as Jason Snider. I think I can help you; in fact I'm already in Dublin. Right now, you probably don't trust me, which means that you have good instincts. But what I'm about to tell you will make you trust me. Joseph Solomon is my father. I never knew him, but I have been told that he was your teacher and you knew him pretty well. My father's goal was to remove the threat of the Circle from the lives of everyone he cared about. My goal is to continue doing what my father died trying.**

It was signed with the initials **R.J.S.**

I don't know why, but something about the email made me believe the guy who sent it. I didn't think he was lying to us. And I can guarantee that Bex believed him too.

Zach grabbed a chair and dragged it next to mine. I scooted my seat over so there was room for two of us at the desk.

"Alright Gallagher Girl, let's find out who this guy is." Zach said with no emotion.

Wordlessly I clicked on to the next email. It looked like there were over 50 just from "Mr. RJS", and that wasn't including other correspondences. We had a lot of reading to do.

While reading I occasionally looked at Zach. He sat leaning slightly forward. His brow was furrowed as he read. I could see the wheels truing in his mind, trying to figure out a reasonable explanation.

For over an hour we just read; email after email. Bex had responded to the first message with caution, but she had agreed to meet him. Apparently things had gone well because emails increased in frequency and length.

Things also got more personal. I began to feel as if I was intruding. Bex was my best friend, but I knew she would kick my butt if it weren't for the fact she was missing. Bex clearly really, really liked this guy. Her last message to him showed a side of Bex that I knew few people rarely saw.

** It's late and I can't get this bloody mission or you off my mind. We are so close to catching Jason, I can feel it. We'll plan on meeting that pub, okay? If we follow him, I think he'll lead us to something. On a more personal note, this has all been such a whirlwind. I trust you, I really do. Haha, and you should know by now not to break that trust. Your face is always in my mind, is that crazy? But I know you're a good guy.**

** Love, Bex**

I inhaled sharply after reading those words. Bex, what did you get yourself into?

Zach cleared his throat and looked at his hands.

"Um, I think we should order room service." He said and then peered at me.

I nodded mechanically. Then I shook my head, I couldn't lose it, not right now.

"Yeah, go ahead and get me whatever." I said. Now that I thought about it, I really was hungry.

"Okay, well go ahead and call Liz and tell her what's going on." Zach told me as he walked out of my room and into his.

I immediately pulled out my phone. Still staring at the computer, I dialed Liz's number.

"Hey Cammie," Liz said when she picked up the phone.

"Hey Lizzie."

"You guys alright? Anything on Bex?" Liz must have picked up on the strangeness of my voice.

I closed my eyes. "Yeah we're fine. And no real news on Bex, but we did find something."

"Yeah, what?" Liz asked. I could hear her typing in the background.

"Liz. Joe Solomon had a son; he got in touch with Bex. And by reading her emails, she really began to, care, about this guy." I searched for the right words.

"Bex was in love with Joe Solomon's son? I didn't know Joe Solomon had a son."

"Yep, us either." I responded. "Here Liz, I'll send you everything we have."

"Sounds good," there was still shock in her voice. "Cam-"

I cut her off. "I don't know anything, Liz. I don't know what to tell you."

Liz was quiet, after a couple of clicks on my computer it told me it sent.

"Kay, I got it Cam. You're good."

"Bye Lizzie," I said.

"Bye Cam."

Faintly I heard a knock on Zach's door. Must be room service, I thought.

Sure enough a few moments later Zach walked in with two plates. He set one with a cheeseburger down in front of me. The he sat down with his.

"How did things go with Liz?" he asked.

"Okay, she was just as shock as us," I said. "I have to wonder if Bex realized what she was getting into." I added.

Zach just shrugged. "Caring about someone changes everything. It makes you do crazy stuff." He gave me a meaningful look. I began to think he wasn't talking about Bex.

The rest of dinner was mostly silent, we were both lost in our separate thoughts. I thanked Zach for the food and we briefly discussed out plans for the next day.

At eight Zach headed back to his room. I was mentally exhausted and the jet lag was wearing on me.

Crawling into bed, I thought about the events of the past day. I was with Zach, and Bex was still MIA. Oh yeah, and some guy was claiming to be Joe Solomon's son, and he had been in touch with Bex before she disappeared.

Before I could analyze that last thought, I fell asleep.

"_You killed my father!" I screamed at her. Her eyes laughed at me which just filled me more rage. I tried to fight but I was trapped. I was tied to a chair in some warehouse with two goons on either side of me. Blood ran down my face and dirt was caked all over me._

"_And now I'll kill you, Gallagher Girl," she said. I spit at her. Zach had made that nickname for me and usually it conjured up memories of the two of us. But coming from her it filled me with hate. Come help me Zach, I thought._

"_You won't win." I told her._

"_Maybe _I_ won't," her eyes glared at me, "but __we__ will, we always do."_

"_Kill me! Shoot me, just like you did to my father." I dared her. But I was filled with despair on the inside and tears were streaming down my face._

_She raised the gun, her finger touched the trigger and a shot rang out. But it didn't hit me, it hit her. She crumbled to the ground and a pool of blood began to form. I looked to see where the shot came from. A boy stood in the doorway with a gun._

"_Zach," I whispered._

I was tossing and turning in my bed. Tears and sweat covered my face, but I didn't wake up.

Suddenly peace, like a blanket, covered me. Something strong wrapped around me and I felt safe. My cries stopped and inviting darkness washed over me.

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><p><strong>Review? I think yes! I wonder what that 'something strong' is... ;)<strong>

**By the way, Ally Carter posted an excerpt of GG5 on her blog, you should check it out, it's pretty awesome!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey! So sorry I haven't been up to my regular updating, but I got it now! I don't really know why, but it took me a while to write this chapter, which is weird because I found Ch.9 was a lot harder to write...anyway we almost got to 50 reviews! I can't believe I'm already on Chapter 10, but I have to say it's because of you guys! Thank you so much to everyone who reads this story! I hope you have as much fun reading it as I have writing it...alright I'll stop talking...enjoy!**

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><p>Chapter Ten<p>

I woke to morning sunlight streaming through the curtains, and to the sound of slight snoring. Wait…snoring? I rubbed my eyes and rolled over. Well, tried to roll over, I only got halfway before hitting another body.

I looked over. Zach was asleep next to me. He must have come in during the night because he wasn't under the blankets. He was in gray sweatpants and…shirtless.

"Zach," I hissed. "Zachary Goode."

Slowly he opened one eye, then the other. Those gorgeous green eyes…and abs. But I wasn't going to let myself get distracted. Then he smirked. Actual smirkage.

"Zach, what are you doing here?" I demanded. He didn't answer, just closed his eyes. "Zach! Why are you in my bed?" I sat up. He groaned.

"Last night. Heard you crying." He muttered, mostly to the pillow.

The dream, it came flooding back. An all too familiar sense of fear and sadness filled me.

"Oh," was my only response.

Zach opened both of his eyes, now apparently fully awake. "Came, you were really upset. What were you dreaming about?"

I fiddled with the blanket. "Nothing Zach, I'm fine. You can go now." I evaded his question.

Sighing, he rolled out of bed. Again his hotness factor was really distracting, so I tried not to look at him.

On his way out of the room, he grabbed the doorjamb and looked at me.

"If you want to talk about it, I'm right next door."

"Thanks," I gave him a half-smile.

He looked like there was more he wanted to say, but he didn't'. Part of me was relieved; the other part of me wanted him to tell me everything. That way I could confide in him too. I wanted to trust him with everything I had, but walls between the two of us blocked that.

I groaned and tumbled out of bed. Ask anyone that knows me and they will tell you how much I hate mornings.

After showering and changing I felt a little more awake. I met Zach and we decided to go out to breakfast.

Deciding not to take the car, we wandered through the streets of Dublin. We saw cute shops and old buildings; Dublin really was a beautiful city. We found a place with the delicious smell of waffles wafting from it and entered.

An elderly lady sat us in a table for two at the window facing the street. After taking our orders she smiled at us and winked at Zach. Naturally he smirked.

I shook my head. "Some things never change." I noted.

Expecting a sarcastic remark, I was surprised when one didn't come.

"You're right, Gallagher Girl. Now are you going to tell me what you were dreaming about last night?"

I cocked my head. "Depends. Are you going to tell me why you feel like you had to comfort me?"

"Guess I can't resist being a knight in shining armor." He smirked and leaned in closer. "Now Cam, what got you so upset?"

I looked out at the street, then I answered.

"I was dreaming about the last time I saw you. When I was captured and you, you shot your mom."

Pain clouded Zach's eyes. He didn't say anything so I rambled on.

"We were in the warehouse and she was about to pull the trigger…" My voice drifted for a moment before I continued. "Zach you saved me. You killed your own family, for me. I don't think anyone else would do that for me." I shook my head. Zach continued to watch me with a look on his face I couldn't describe. "And after that all I wanted to do was tell you how grateful I was. But, I couldn't. I didn't want to face my feelings. And then you, disappeared and I didn't have the courage to go after you." I blinked back tears.

Every trace of confidence or cockiness was gone from Zach's face. The look he had in his eyes told me that maybe I wasn't the only o ne who go their heart broken four years ago.

He looked down at his hands. "Gallagher Girl, I would have done anything for you. And…I think I still would. You've always been the one person who I could trust and you didn't see me as a troubled boy whose mother was a monster. I left because I didn't want to hurt you anymore than I already had.

I tried my hardest not to completely lose it. I had dreamed and wanted to have this conversation so many times.

"Zach, the last thing I wanted was to drive you away. I was such a wreck after all of it hat I guess it seemed like I didn't' want you with me. But…I did." I confessed, hoping that maybe he would tell me the same.

Naturally, the waitress picked this moment to walk up and place our breakfasts in front of us. I said a polite "thank you" and without a word the waitress walked away.

Turning back to face Zach I saw him studying me.

"Cam, four years ago I walked away from you, and I'll always regret it. But not once did I forget you or stop needing you."

I smiled at him and in that moment he had never been so perfect. "Me either, but how about from now on, no matter what happens, no regrets, okay?" I told him.

He smiled back, "No regrets," he agreed. I laughed and looked at the food neither o fus had touched.

"I guess we should probably eat." I picked up my fork. Zach nodded and grabbed the syrup.

If I had any worries about things being awkward afterwards, they disappeared. Zach and I easily fell into conversation for the rest of our meal.

Stepping out of the restaurant into the street I felt as if a huge burden was lifted from me. Things weren't perfect with Zach, they probably never would be, but we had taken a step in the right direction.

Now if we could just find Bex. Remembering Bex brought back the stress of the mission and all the unknown challenges. But talking with Zach had brought us close together and I knew that was going to make our mission better. We made a good team, I smiled to myself.

Zach, walking next to me, must have noticed as he put his arm over my shoulders. I didn't protest, just kept walking.

When we got back to the hotel we didn't go back to our rooms, just headed to the parking garage.

I got in the passenger door, assuming Zach would want to drive.

"Do you know where we're going?" I couldn't help but ask.

Zach's familiar smirk was back. "Yes, Gallagher Girl, I do. I mapped it out this morning.

I figured I couldn't argue with that so I kept my mouth shut. While pulling out of the garage, I remembered I'd been meaning to ask him something.

"Hey Zach, do you know William Taylor? I noticed your reaction yesterday when Riley mentioned him."

Zach turned the car on a street before answering. "Yeah, I guess you could say I know Taylor. He went to Blackthorne, but was a couple grades ahead of me. The Circle recruited him and so did the CIA. He became the type of guy you never knew whose side he was on. Not many people trust him, but he worked to stay in the good graces of the Circle and the CIA. He gave a lot of good intel to the CIA these past few years, but I'm pretty sure he blew a couple of operatives' covers on occasion."

I processed everything Zach was telling me.

"Do you think he turned Bex in?" I asked.

Zach looked at me for a moment. "I wouldn't put it past him, but I couldn't tell you. That's why I'm not sure if working with him is a good idea; he could blow our covers too."

"Yeah but is his information worth the risk?" I countered.

"Most likely," Zach responded. "Taylor's a good operative and a really tough guy. Plus he's one of those few people with accurate information on the Circle.

I nodded, "Well I'm willing to risk it, for Bex."

"Feeling brave, are we Gallagher Girl?" Zach raised his eyebrows as he pulled up to a small condo complex. "We're here."

I looked around. It seemed like there was several condominiums in the area. I place where college kids would house off-campus, I mused.

"Here goes nothing," I told Zach as I reached for the car door handle.

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><p><strong>So there was a lot of Zammie drama in this chapter...I hope you liked it. They aren't officially together yet, but things are getting there. Again, I'd love to hear ideas for future chapters, they are really useful sometimes!<strong>

**P.S.I meant to ask you this last chapter, but what do you thing the initials "R.J.S." stand for? (aka the initials of Mr. Solomon's son) I've already decided but I want to see if anyone can guess!**

**PPS. So I just gave you a lot to think about, tell me what your thoughts are in a review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Happy New Year everybody! Welcome to 2012! I wish all you guys the best this year!**

**Without further ado, here's my first update of 2012!**

**Disclaimer: I'm not Ally Carter and own nothing but my story.**

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><p>Chapter Eleven<p>

Zach and I approached Jane and Riley's condo. It was plain looking, as most safe houses are. The door was a cherry red that matched every other unit on the block.

Zach reached up and pressed the doorbell. Within moments the door opened to reveal Jane. She was dressed in a green top, which accentuated her eyes, and slim jeans. Instantly I was jealous, though I did my best to hide it. Her eyes lit up at the sight of Zach.

"Welcome, come on it," she said, more to Zach then me I had a feeling.

Stepping into the condo, I looked around. There was a living room area to the left and straight back down a hallway there was a kitchen and dining area. Stairs to the right probably led up to the bedrooms, I figured.

Riley was seated on the couch staring at a laptop placed on the coffee table. Jane walked over and sat down next to him. Zach and I sat in two chairs that were positioned to face the couch.

Riley hardly acknowledged our presence. Finally after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence he turned the computer to face Zach and I. On the screen was a satellite image of a house located in the country.

"Is this Taylor's current residence?" Zach asked Riley.

Riley nodded, "One of them. This is where the CIA and MI6 said he would most likely be. For all we know, he could be long gone, but it's our best shot."

I studied the image. It didn't seem like there were any other houses nearby. A thick forest started not too far from the house. The only vehicle access was a dirt road that navigated through the rolling hills.

"Do you have any other way we could contact Taylor, like a cutout or secure number?" I questioned.

Jane shook her head. Then she stood up and walked out of the room. When she came back she had a microchip in her hand. She walked over and gave it to Zach.

"That chip has all the files Rebecca had access to. I'm not sure if you will find anything but maybe it will help you figure out what she was getting into," Riley explained.

"Unfortunately," Jane started, "we really didn't stay in contact with Ms. Baxter while she was operating in Dublin, so we really can't assist you anymore with intel. We will however, be willing to provide backup or help you carry out surveillance." She told us.

I nodded my head, "Can you print out a copy of that Sat image?" I pointed to the computer, "and write the GPS coordinates on it."

"Certainly," Riley said as he grabbed the laptop and spun it to face him. After a few clicks I heard a printer in the corner of the room begin to work.

I looked at Zach with a questioning look in my eyes. He knew what I was thinking and gave a short nod.

"There's one more thing. We found several emails to Bex on the flash drive from a man who goes by the initials "R.J.S.". We can only guess that the 'S' stands for Solomon because he claims to be Joe Solomon's son. We were wondering if you had ever heard of this guy. We have no idea who he works for." I asked the two of them, all the while closely watching their faces.

Jane was the first to speak, "Yes, in fact I am familiar with Joe Solomon's son. He works for MI6; he's been there since he turned eighteen, he trained with me. His uncle is an agent who's been dealing with the Circle forever. His name is Ryan Joseph Solomon.

Zach blinked; neither of us spoke. So it was true.

"So this Ryan guy really is Joe Solomon's son?" Zach asked.

Jane continued, "Yes, he is. I'm pretty sure his father didn't even know he existed. He was raised by his mother and uncle, and when he turned eighteen he joined MI6. Ryan's always had a fascination with the Circle of Cavan too."

Zach stood up, signaling he was ready to go. "Thanks so much, we will probably contact MI6 headquarters to figure out if we can speak to Ryan. He may know what happened to Bex. We'll be in touch if we need anything." Zach informed Jane and Riley.

I stood up and followed Zach to the door. Riley and Jane said their goodbyes and Riley handed me the sheet of paper with the satellite image on it.

Within seconds Zach and I were in the car. Without a word I buckled my seatbelt. Then, something in the rearview mirror caught my eye. It was a black SUV, the same one I had seen yesterday.

"Zach," I said as he started the car.

He must have sensed the edge in my voice. "Yeah Cam," he asked.

"Look in the mirror, do you recognize that SUV?" I asked him with growing caution. Zach looked at the car I was talking about.

"Maybe, do you?" he looked back at me.

"It was behind us in traffic yesterday." I told him. "And I think I saw if before then too, maybe at the airport."

"You think we're being followed?" Zach's voice held a serious tone.

"I don't believe in coincidences," was my response.

Zach nodded. "Alright let's find out." Zach backed out and started driving. He zigzagged around and drove by the condo a second time, sure enough the black SUV wasn't where it had been parked.

"Damn," Zach swore. He pulled out on a main road. Within a few minutes we caught a glimpse of the SUV a few cars back. We were definitely being tailed.

"Hold on Gallagher Girl." Zach suddenly swerved and took a street to the left. I instinctively gripped the handle on the door.

At first the SUV tried to remain inconspicuous, but with all the crazy turns we were making they soon stopped trying to be stealthy. We weaved all over the city. At traffic lights Zach would slow like he was going to stop but then speed through right as the light turned red.

These guys, whoever they were, were really good. As soon as we thought them, Zach or I would spot them again.

It was frustrating, it really was. You think losing a tail is an adrenaline-filled, action-packed event, and sometimes it is. But mostly it's scary and tiring.

Finally, we lost them. Zach quickly made the way back to the hotel before they could find us. As he pulled into our space in the garage and turned the car off, he slumped in his seat.

"We need a different car, I don't know if our covers are blown, but we need to be more careful." As he spoke he reached over and brushed a hair out of my face, but I was too tense to obsess over the gesture.

Instead I began to blame myself, "Gosh Zach, I'm sorry, I saw them yesterday but they turned and I didn't think…" I trailed off.

There was a sympathetic look in Zach's eyes. "It's okay Cam, we'll figure it out." He assured me.

I pushed my car door open, "I know," I told him.

"Hopefully they don't know where we're staying." I noted in the elevator.

Zach nodded, "If we're lucky. But I've never been able to rely on luck before," he gave me a look.

"I just don't get how they caught wind of us so fast. I mean, they've been tailing us since at least yesterday," I mused out loud.

"Maybe they've been watching Riley and Jane, or they've known about us since we landed." Zach gave a small shrug.

"I guess," I responded as we arrived on our floor.

Zach and I made our way to our rooms. I pulled out my key and pushed the door open. A few feet away, Zach did the same.

My room was trashed.

The bed was torn apart; the contents of my suitcase were strewn about the room. I inhaled sharply and walked over to reveal the false bottom of the chair where I kept my laptop and various important documents. Relieved, I found they were still there.

There was a pounding on my door.

"Cam, open the door already!" I heard Zach's impatient voice. I rolled my eyes.

I took my sweet time opening the door. When I swung it open, Zach came barging in. His step faltered while he surveyed the disaster that was my room.

"They searched yours too." He said quietly. I peeked in Zach's room. His was in the same condition as mine.

"I'm just going to go out on a limb here," I said," but I think they know we're here."

Zach turned to face me. "Did they take anything?"

"Nope," I shook my head. "It looks like they didn't find what they were looking for. What about you?"

Zach smirked, "Of course not, I hid everything."

I made a face, "Me too." Then as an afterthought I asked, "What do you think they were looking for?"

Taking a breath, Zach looked around the room, then back into my eyes.

"That, Gallagher Girl, is a very good question.

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><p><strong>Duhn duhn duhn duhn...<strong>

**So annam645 was the only one to guess the initial correctly...kudos to you! Several people thought that Riley was gonna be Joe's son, but I'm prettttty sure I already gave his last name in one of the other chapters. **

**My resolution this year is to write more, and I think yours should be to REVIEW more *hint hint* :D**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey everyone! I'm incredibly sorry that I haven't updated in almost a week. Unfortunately a family emergency came up and long story short, tomorrow I'm flying back East for a week to attend a funeral. :( So sadly, I probably won't update for the next week or so. I promise I'll keep writing though so when I get back I'll have like 3 chapters to post. Anyway, thanks for all the reviews I got on the last chapter, you guys are awesome. I hope you enjoy Ch. 12!**

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><p>Chapter Twelve<p>

I sorted through the clothes that were spread out all over my room, trying to make sense of everything. Next door, Zach was doing the same.

Who was after us? What did we know? How did they find us? Questions raced through my mind. For every article of clothing I folded, new challenges came to my head.

Where were we supposed to go? Sighing I stopped my organizing and sat down on the bed. I was a spy, maybe a confused one, but this was what I had been training to do my whole life.

Pulling my knees up to my chest I considered everything. Never had a mission been so personal…this wouldn't just effect my spotless record, but my friend's life depended on me to succeed.

Lost in thought, I didn't see Zach come in until I felt someone sit down on the bed next to me.

"Have we been that sloppy?" I asked him.

"Course not, Gallagher Girl, they haven't beat us yet," he responded.

Suddenly I was sick of being vulnerable, on the defense. I didn't want to be scared or upset or read like an open book. So I did what all good spies do; I hid my emotions. I refused to allow myself to open up to Zach.

I stood up and started tossing stuff in my bag, not caring if it was neat or not. Zach watched me with a slightly amused expression, as if he knew what I was thinking.

"So what's our plan? We obviously can't stay here, where do we go?" I asked.

Zach thought, "I think we have a few options. We could get a safe house from the CIA, or we could switch hotels, or we could go on the run…"

"Um, definitely no to the last option. I say we switch hotels. But we also need to switch vehicles. And I think we should get two, so we can split up if necessary. I told him.

"We're going to have to risk getting tailed by going to the airport and I agree about the two vehicle thing. That will come in handy for surveillance too." I could see Zach playing out scenarios in his head.

"Well then," I zipped up my suitcase. "Let's go." Zach smirked at me.

"What?" I demanded.

"You're just cute when you're all determined," he laughed at me.

I crossed my arms and tried not to blush. "Zach this is serious, it's no time for your…antics." I struggled.

The smirk grew wider, "My antics?"

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever Zach. Just get your stuff."

Zach walked over to his room and I grit my teeth. Why did I let him get to me.? I promised myself not to let that happen again. Of course, I knew that was pointless.

We wasted no time checking out of the hotel. As soon as we got to the car I jumped int eh driver's seat. Zach glared but I just shrugged.

I pulled out of the garage and quickly took the most direct route to the airport. We were probably being tailed, but we didn't have time to waste losing them.

I'll admit, I drove pretty well. Weaving through the streets of Dublin at a high velocity may unnerve some people, but not me. I was a Gallagher Girl on a mission. And I've driven with Bex before, which changes the way you view crazy driving.

We made it out of the city and I accelerated. I could feel Zach watching me, so to distract him I pulled out my cell phone and tossed it to him.

"Call Liz, she should know what's going on." I explained.

"It's like 4 am over there."

"She won't care," I snapped. I don't know why, but I could feel stress getting to me. I clenched the steering wheel.

Zach dialed the number and after a few seconds he began to talk.

"Liz, it's Zach. Cammie and I are driving to the airport to switch cars. Someone tailed us after our meeting this morning and our rooms were ransacked when we got back.

As soon as Zach stopped speaking I could hear Liz's high pitched voice yelling into the phone. Zach pulled it away from his ear and gave me a look. When the yelling ceased he tried to calm Liz down.

"Liz, we're fine. We're going to find another place to stay – Yes Cammie is here, she's driving.

Zach held the phone over to me and rolled his eyes. "She wants to talk to you." I took the phone and gingerly put it to my ear.

"Liz-" Before I could say more Liz started.

"Cammie! Oh my gosh are you okay? You've got to be okay! Are you in danger? Well, of course you're in danger, you're a spy…"

"I'm fine Liz," I stopped her. "Now don't make me regret calling you. Zach and I are switching locations. I'll let you know when we get to our new hotel. But please monitor our travel through the GPS in this phone, and send me a list of hotels on the south side of Dublin."

Giving Liz something to do seemed to calm her.

"Okay Cam, just stay safe."

"You know I will." I reassured her. "Now I've got to go."

"Okay bye." Liz's voice was quiet.

"Bye," I snapped the phone shut..

Zach looked at me. "You really know all the right things to tell her," he noted.

I kept my eyes on the road, but nodded. "When you know someone as long as I've known Liz, you really understand what they're thinking." I explained.

Zach didn't answer. We were nearing the ever-crowded airport and I knew I had to stay focused. Finding the rental car company was easy enough. I pulled up to the door.

"I'll let you rent a car from here and then I'll get one from somewhere else." Zach informed me. I agreed.

We walked inside together and got in the line. Zach and I tried to appear not to be together, and didn't speak at all.

The woman at the counter easily bought Zach's fake passport and ID and soon enough the car was returned. Zach walked out of the building as if he was going to catch a bus to the main terminal.

The lady behind the desk cleared her throat, making me realize I was next. As I stepped up to the counter and handed her my identification, she smiled.

"He's quite the cutie," she nodded to Zach, who you could still see through the glass windows in the front.

Slightly taken aback, I just smiled and nodded.

After a few minutes, I had my car. The key I was given had a parking space number on it. Walking outside and searching the lot, I found it and got in. It was a white car, one that was bigger than I sedan and smaller than an SUV. Before starting the engine, I looked around. Zach was still nowhere in sight.

Yet, as soon as I turned the car on, the passenger door opened and Zach slipped inside.

"So Gallagher Girl, you think I'm a 'cutie'?" Zach smirked.

"Suuurrre, of course I do." I shook my head.

"Thought so," Zach leaned back with a smug look on his face.

Ignoring him, I drove the short distance to another rental place.

"Out," I said as we pulled up.

Zach feigned a pout, "That hurts Cammie." I just rolled my eyes.

While waiting I drove around and looked to see if anyone was following me. Surprisingly, there weren't any cars I recognized and I seemed to be clear.

I saw Zach walk out and get in a black suburban. As soon as the engine turned on, I pulled out my phone and dialed his number.

He picked up almost instantly. "Yes Gallagher Girl?"

"Follow me, Liz sent me an address of a hotel." I clicked the end-call button before he could say anything more.

We made our way back through Dublin, both of us taking slightly different routes to make sure we weren't being tailed. We didn't need our location to be revealed to whoever was after us.

Our new hotel was semi-close to the old one, but in a slightly more new part of the city.

Once we arrived, Zach and I got out and walked into the hotel. The man working behind the desk flashed us a smile as we walked in.

"We need two rooms for the next week." Zach said.

The man nodded and clicked through the computer. Then a frown came over his face.

"Ah, I'm afraid we only have one vacancy, but it has two beds," he informed us apologetically.

Zach nodded, "We'll take it."

I internally groaned. This was going to be a long week.

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><p><strong>What do you think? Again...tell me in a review.<strong>

**This chapter is a little short, and I tried not to make the characters OOC. Let me know if you thought they were okay or not. Also, I love love love hearing your ideas and thoughts...they are super duper helpful!**

**Hope you all had a great first week of 2012!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Phew! I'm finally back! Unfortunately I was at a funeral, which was tough, but thank you for all the condolences! To make up for last week, I'll be updating multiple times over the next week. Again, thanks to all who read and especially to the reviewers (we made it past 70!) You guys make my day! **

**This chapter is mostly fluff, the next couple ones will be action filled, I promise. But we learn a little about Cammie and Zach in this chapter, and it's the longest one yet, so I hope you like it! **

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><p>Chapter Thirteen<p>

It's a common known fact among girls that spending all your time with a boy is stressful. Especially if that particular boy happens to have a long and complicated past with you, and if that boy happens to be very confusing, even if it's in a hot way.

Perhaps that was the reason I fell flat on the bed once Zach and I got to the room. Our room. Whatever the reason was, I was tired. It was hard to believe that just this morning I had had a leisurely pancake breakfast. But such was the life as a spy.

I pushed my hair out of my face and watched as Zach threw his duffle in the corner and lay down on the other bed. I sighed, loudly, and turned my head to face him.

It was early evening, almost dinner time.

"What should we do?" Zach asked me.

"Well, we should go get dinner and then come back and look at that microchip." I said.

"But what do you want to do?" Zach watched my face.

I closed my eyes. "Honestly I just want to crash, but we can't do that." I groaned and sat up. Zach raised his arm to check his watch. Then, sighing, he ran his hand through his dark hair.

"Okay Cam, can you be ready to go in 20? I'll look and find someplace nearby. What are you in the mood for?"

"Italian," I answered immediately. Pasta was my favorite and I was totally craving comfort food.

Zach looked at me and grinned, "I'll make sure to wear a white shirt."

I laughed and got up. I grabbed a comfortable knee-length skirt out of my suitcase and the top that went with it, and then I headed to the bathroom.

Ten minutes later I was ready. I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror. Makeup had gotten rid of the weariness on my face and I had to admit, I look good.

Walking out of the bathroom I found Zach already dressed.

He looked at me, "I found a nice place a couple blocks away, is that okay?"

I shrugged and grabbed my purse, "Sounds good to me."

Because of the proximity to our hotel, we decided to walk. It was unusually warm outside so I didn't mind the chance to be outdoors at all.

We soon discovered the reason there wasn't any vacancy in the hotel. In the large park across the street, a music festival was taking place. Tents were set up and people milled around. Even from a distance I could smell the scents of foods being cooked and hear the different melodies of songs.

Zach smelled the food too. "Want to skip the restaurant?"

"Nah," I shook my head. "But we'll stop through on the way back."

Zach and I continued to walk in silence, each of us observing the things around us. Neither he nor I felt the need to talk.

Zach stopped in front of black and red building with the name _La Campagna_ labeled on it. He opened the door and I stepped in and looked around. The restaurant was busy, but not so crowded to ruin the cozy atmosphere.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes when the waiter confirmed "a table for two". Why did everyone seem to assume that Zach and I were together?

But after sitting down, my annoyance disappeared. This was clearly a nice restaurant, I had to give Zach credit.

While we both looked over the menu I found myself studying Zach. Overall he looked the same since I last saw him, but he was older. He was still in great shape, and his face had that constant look of confidence. But beneath that I saw the real Zach. The one who had a troubled past, the one who'd been betrayed and taught not to trust anyone.

Zach's green eyes looked up to catch me looking at him. Instead of looking away, I held his gaze.

"Yes Gallagher Girl?" A small smirk appeared on his lips.

I cocked my head and gave a small shrug. "I'm trying to decide if you've changed."

The smirk slipped for a half-second. If I wasn't a highly trained operative, I never would have caught it.

"And?" he asked.

I scrunched up my nose as if I was thinking. "Nope, you haven't. You're still…Zach."

Zach laughed, "Very good, Cam. You're right."

"And what about me?" I asked. "Have I changed?"

Zach leaned forward, setting both arms on the table. His eyes stared at him, and I tried not to squirm under his gaze.

After a moment, he nodded, "I think you have. You've definitely grown up."

For a moment I thought about that. "Yeah, I have. You really don't get a choice in this business, you know? I mean, we're the few twenty-something year olds who travel the world in constant danger. How many normal people do you know who have to deal with the stuff we do?" I reached for a piece of garlic bread.

Zach made a face, "None. But you know you wouldn't have it any other way," he waved his hand around the room. "Normal is boring."

I didn't answer, for the waiter came up to take our orders. He looked at me. "What can I get for the beautiful Ms.-"

"Emily," I filled in. "And I'll have the fettuccine alfredo please." I sent a smirk in Zach's direction. The waiter proceeded to take Zach's order and then walked away.

"So," Zach reached for his wine glass. "I heard a rumor about you."

A slight feeling of dread filled my stomach. I had no clue what he was talking about.

"Okaayyy," I drew out the word.

"I heard that a year ago you were engaged to a guy named, oh what was it, Michael. But yet now I don't see a ring…" he raised his eyebrows.

Groaning out loud, I rolled my eyes. "We were not engaged. Now where did you hear that?"

"Spy," Zach smirked and pointed to himself. "So there really was a guy?"

I shrugged, not giving anything away. "Is this your way of asking if I'm involved with anyone?"

Zach smirked and took a sip of his wine. "Maybe. So what happened? Getting engaged is serious stuff."

I made a face. "Life happened, what else? And we were both too young. I had just turned 21 and he was 23. We weren't ready."

Zach nodded. "Did you love him?"

I looked at him, "I don't think any of it matters now. So what about you? Any tragic love stories?"

"That, Gallagher Girl, is confidential." Zach smirked.

I shook my head. "C'mon Zach. Don't play games."

He sighed. "Well if you really want to know, there have been a couple of girls. Nothing that really lasted though."

A part of me hurt a little, picturing Zach with another girl. But I pushed it away and smiled.

"Sounds like we both suck at love," I said.

Zach nodded, "Amen to that." He lifted his glass and I gently clinked mine against his.

A little under an hour later, our dinner was over and I was fully stuffed. I probably could have fallen asleep at the table after the good food and the wine. But we both wanted to walk through the music festival.

So we slowly made our way down the sidewalk. The sun was setting and it was a beautiful night. Many people were outside chatting and laughing, just living their lives. It was a moment where I couldn't help but wonder why anyone would want to disturb the peace in the world.

Leisurely, we made our way into the park. Big oak trees and green grass added visual beauty to match the sounds of music drifting through the air. Vendors with shops and food stands were set up everywhere, while musical acts were under small tents. There was so much to look at and listen to, I couldn't help but genuinely enjoy myself.

Looking at Zach, he looked content too. For just this moment, neither of us were worried or stressed.

We walked by a girl playing her guitar on a bench. She was only sixteen or seventeen, but was really talented. Zach and I stopped to listen to her play a few songs and when we decided to move on, Zach dropped some money in her guitar case and winked at her. Unlike most girls, she didn't swoon, but smiled and kept playing.

As we continued on I bumped Zach's shoulder with my own. "That was nice of you."

"Well what can I say, I'm a nice guy." Zach replied and looked at me as if asking me if I disagreed.

"You have your moments," I admitted, not wanting to ruin the mood.

Zach didn't say anything – we both just walked along in our own thoughts.

We spent quite some time going through the festival. I couldn't help but stop and observe some of the beautifully handmade jewelry. Particularly, a necklace caught my eye. It was a silver wire heart on a delicate chain. But the heart wasn't perfect; it was bent in some places that made it unique and even more beautiful. Inside the heart and green emerald was centered. Zach noticed me eyeing it but didn't say anything. I was tempted to get it but decide against it.

Zach and I had almost made our way through everything when we reached a final tent. A band was set up on the stage and the lead singers were a man and woman. A few people were sitting listening to them, but a majority was paired up dancing on a grassy area.

Taking me completely by surprise, Zach grabbed my hand and gently pulled me toward the people dancing. The band was playing a slow duet.

"Zach, what are you doing?" I asked, even though I already had a pretty good idea.

He held on to my hand and placed his other on the small of my back. Pulling me close, he whispered.

"Dancing with you."

Completely oblivious to what came over me, I put my hand on his shoulder and allowed myself to gently sway with him.

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><p><strong>Ahhh...romance is in the air...or is it? What did you guys think? Goode...or bad? Tell me in a review! <strong>

**Again, sorry for the delay, but stay tuned for more! :D**


	14. Chapter 14

**Phew! I finally have Ch. 14! This week was waaayyyy busier than I expected and I have the next two chapters written, but I still have to type them up! So sorry about the delay, but better late than never. Hopefully I'll be able to crank them out faster in the future, this week was just crazy! Anyway...80 reviews! WooHoo! You guys are awesome, please keep them coming! **

**Also, if you haven't already, please check out my one-shot of Zammie called Love Reunites! **

**Well, here it is...I hope you like it as much as you liked the other ones!**

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><p>Chapter Fourteen<p>

I woke up the next morning to find myself smiling. For some absurd reason I also found myself feeling giddy. Although I would never, ever admit it out loud, I'd had fun dancing with Zach last night. The feeling of being in his arms…that brought up emotions I wasn't ready to deal with.

I turned to look at where Zach was still asleep in his bed. This was the second time I had beat him awake. I didn't feel like waking him up just yet, but I did need to clear my head, today we were going to confront William Taylor.

Rolling out of bed I dug through my suitcase to find a swimsuit. I stuck my tongue out at the black bikini Macey packed. Macey, I wished I could talk to her. I changed in the bathroom, in case Zach woke up. Pulling on a cover-up dress I quietly walked out of the bathroom. Zach was still asleep.

Making my way to the pool, I found the hotel mostly quiet. It was only six thirty, so the pool was empty too. The cool water felt refreshing on my skin as I made my way in.

I began doing laps; back and forth, back and forth. Gallagher didn't have a pool, but the CIA training facility had an Olympic-size one. When I had joined the CIA, I found swimming was a great way for me to escape, and refocus from the craziness.

Gliding through the water, I didn't think. Swimming made my thoughts fall in order, without requiring me to do anything.

As much as I had enjoyed last night I knew that from now on it was unlikely Zach and I would get anymore quiet evenings, which disappointed me. But why? Zach and I could never be more that what we were right now, right? My life had proven that romance never worked out for me.

I pushed off the side of the pool and continued doing laps. Bex, she might be running out of time. I was praying Taylor would have something to lead us to her. And then there was Ryan Solomon, we needed to contact him too.

Last night I had sent Liz the info off the microchip. She was probably thrilled to have something to do to help us, and it saved Zach and I time.

As I neared the end of the pool closest to the door, I heard a noise. I stopped swimming and looked to see the door open and a guy step in. For a moment, I panicked, but I tried to play it cool.

My panic wasn't necessary, for the man who walked in clearly wasn't there to harm me. I studied him. He was probably twenty-five-ish with sandy brown hair. Instantly he reminded me of…Josh. He caught me watching him and walked over to the edge of the pool. I'll admit, he looked good in just swim trunks.

"Hey there," he looked down at me.

Fighting a blush, I responded, "Hey."

A look of surprise crossed his face. "You're American too?"

I nodded and remembered my cover, "Sure am. Where are you from in the States?"

He sat down on the edge and stuck his feet in the water. "Boston," he gave me a smile. "What about you?"

"Virginia," I smiled back, trying to appear like I was flirting with him.

"What brings you here, to Dublin?" he asked.

"I'm doing a semester abroad; I'm a student at UVa." I repeated the lie that was my cover. "Why are you here?"

He made a face, "I'm over here for business, so not quite as fun. But my job does give me chance to see the world, so I'm lucky." He gave a shrug.

I pulled myself out of the pool and sat next to him. I noticed him run his eyes over my bathing suit-clad body, but I wasn't offended. He seemed like a nice-enough guy, so to mention good-looking.

"Wow, that's cool. So what's your name?"

He laughed. "Where are my manners? I'm Nate, Nate Gordon," he offered his hand.

I shook it, "I'm Emily, Emily Thomas."

"So you're a swimmer?" he nodded to the pool.

"Ah, occasionally," I responded, "Water helps me relax."

Nate nodded, "I know what you mean."

I stood up. "Well I should go, you enjoy your swim. It was nice meeting you, Nate."

Nate smiled. "You too, maybe I'll see you around?"

Grabbing a towel, I shrugged and grinned. "Maybe," knowing that I probably wouldn't. Hopefully I'd find Bex and be home as soon as possible.

Unlocking the door to the room Zach and I shared I found a very angry Zach.

When he saw me a look of relief was masked by anger on his face. "Where the hell have you been Cammie?" he demanded.

I looked at him. He must have just gotten out of the shower and gotten dressed because his hair was still wet.

"The pool." I finally responded as if the answer was totally obvious, which it kind of was considering I was wearing a swimsuit and towel.

"And did you think about telling me? For all I knew, you were gone!"

I rolled my eyes. "You were sleeping, Zach. And I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I'm just as good a spy as you are, so why don't you treat me like one?" I met his stare across the room.

"Well Cammie, in case you haven't realized; we're on this mission together. Neither of us knows who's out there; we have to communicate! Did anyone see you at the pool?"

"Yes," I admitted but there was anger in my voice. "But he believed every bit of the lie I told him," I spat.

Zach shook his head. "How do you know? He might report back to someone!"

"And you think that you being there could change that, Zach? I know what I'm doing! You don't have to protect me." I marched over to my bag and grabbed a random outfit. Giving Zach a glare I went into the bathroom and locked the door.

How had things gone from the way they were last night to right now? I wanted to scream in frustration.

After my shower, I was a little more relaxed. Zach and I couldn't let stupid arguments get in the way of our jobs.

Taking a deep breath I walked out of the bathroom. Zach was sitting at the desk looking at satellite images and reading a file.

Looking at me, I could see he wasn't angry anymore. Zach cleared his throat. "Cammie…I'm sorry."

I walked over to the desk and sat on it. Looking into Zach's eyes I spoke. "I am too. You're right, we have to communicate and stick together. And we can't let stuff like this mess us up."

Zach nodded. "Okay and I'll try to allow you to prove yourself to me." He smirked. I punched his arm and smiled.

Zach frowned and rubbed his shoulder.

"So are we ready to talk to Taylor?"

Zach turned to the pictures. "Yep. I've got a good idea of where we're going." He pointed to the house. "I think that I'll pull up to the house and talk to him. Meanwhile you sneak around back and I want you to look through his house to see if he's hiding anything. This way, if everything goes as planned, he will only know about me. He won't have any idea that you are even involved, so he can only blow my cover."

I frowned at the last part but I knew Zach was right. The less Taylor knew the better. "What should I look for?" I asked.

"Clues to who he talks to; who he knows. Anything you think could be related to the Circle." Zach suggested.

Nodding, I took it all in. "Alright sounds good, as soon as I'm done I'll go back to the car and meet you there." I said.

Zach pointed to a small backpack on his bed. "Everything you'll need is in there." Then he smiled, "Let's head out."

Zach and I only took one car. Two cars would have added to the risk, and more riskiness was the last thing we needed.

Driving through the lush Irish countryside outside of Dublin, we only passed a few cars on the winding roads. Unlike previous days, it had been raining and a thick fog began to settle in. While Zach drove, I studied William Taylor's file. Taylor was definitely not the type of guy who you should trust. But I had dealt with many people like that in the sport of espionage.

Taylor's house was easy to miss. In fact, you couldn't even see it from the road. The gravel driveway was only marked with an old mailbox.

Slowly, Zach pulled in. The driveway was about a quarter of a mile long. As we continued, a small cottage appeared in the fog. A thick forest backed up to the house. In all, it looked pretty ominous but the woods would make it easy to sneak around back without being seen.

Zach parked the car. I was in the second row so if Taylor looked out the window it would seem like Zach was alone. Zach looked at me in the rearview mirror.

"You good?"

"Yeah, try to keep him occupied, kay?"

Zach smirked, "Oh I will. I have a feeling Taylor will have a lot to tell us." Then a serious look passed over his face. "Be careful Cam."

I smirked. "I will."

With that, Zach opened his door and got out. I watched as he walked up to the front door. There was a rusty red pickup truck in the driveway, so hopefully Taylor was home.

Zach knocked on the door. It didn't open immediately, but when it did I recognized William Taylor instantly. His hair color was different and he had grown a beard, but I could still tell it was him.

Taylor gruffly exchanged a few words with Zach before allowing him in.

I waited two minutes and forty-five seconds before leaving the car. Swiftly, I made my way into the woods before making an arc around to the back of the house.

The house was one story, but looked like there might have been a basement. The windows on the main floor were right at my eyelevel. I peered in each one. One of them led into what looked like Taylor's bedroom. There was a desk with a laptop and filing cabinets. Trying my luck, I pushed the window up. It easily opened; apparently Taylor wasn't too keen on security.

Being as silent as possible, I pulled myself through the window and into Taylor's bedroom. I left the window open in case I needed to make a quick exit.

My initial reaction to Taylor's room was that it was beyond neat. Everything was in pristine order, something he must have learned from Blackthorne.

Walking over to the desk I looked around. Nothing seemed unusual, except for a blue stick note with an email address and password. I pulled a small camera from my backpack and photographed it. I kept my ears alert for sounds of someone coming but so far there was just low voices that I assumed must be Zach's and Taylor's.

Next, I moved to the filing cabinet. I searched for a folder labeled "Baxter". Somewhat surprisingly, I found one.

But as I opened it up, I heard a loud crash come from a nearby room. The sound was followed by the cry of a deep male voice that caused my blood to run cold.

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><p><strong>Ooohhhh I know I'm evil, another cliffy! But I promise you won't be in suspense for long...<strong>

**In the meantime, REVIEW! :D**


	15. Chapter 15

**Wow Chapter 15...it's finally here! I immensely apologize about the delay...but I have it now. Life is definitely settling down so look for an update midway through this week. I have to get back to my regular schedule in order to have this story done by the time GG5 comes out! Thanks for all the reviews and happy reading!**

**Disclaimer: I'm not Ally Carter...'nuff said.**

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><p>Chapter Fifteen<p>

I froze, unsure of what to do. Taylor could be overpowering Zach and I couldn't let Zach get hurt. It would be hard to take Taylor by myself thought, especially if he was strong enough to take Zach.

Another low moan came from the nearby room. Making my decision, I quickly grabbed a revolver from the backpack. I made my way to the door and slowly cracked it open. Looking out I saw a long hallway ran the length of the house. On the left was an opening I assumed led to the main living room area.

Taking the risk, I moved down the hallway. But I still had no way to see what was going on the other side of the wall. Cautiously I glanced around the corner. Instantly, I pulled my head back and smiled to myself.

Zach was in no danger, far from it. He had Taylor pinned up against the wall and clearly had the upper hand. I listened to what Zach was demanding.

"Where is she Will? You know I don't play games." Zach growled.

Taylor didn't respond, but must have tried to fight because Zach pushed him against the wall harder.

Groaning, Taylor began to speak. "I'm not sure exactly where she is, but the people operate from an estate 10 miles from here."

"Address." Zach tightened his grip. Taylor swore.

"9352 Derby Way." Taylor said.

Clearly Zach didn't need any help so I quietly made my way back to the room. Based on what I'd heard, Zach probably couldn't get much more info from Taylor so I had to hurry. I took pictures of the "Rebecca Baxter" file and then took a picture of all the names labeled on the other folders.

I looked through his desk, but didn't find anything. I pulled a couple of fingerprints from the room for Liz to ID. I decided that there probably wasn't much else I could do, so I grabbed the backpack and jumped the window. I pulled the window close, then I used the camera to take pictures of the other rooms. That was the best I could do.

Back through the woods, I snuck back to the car. In an instant stroke of genius I pulled out a GPS tracking device and stuck it under the red pick-up truck's bumper.

Looking around furtively I hopped back in the car and waited for Zach to come out. In less than a minute, he appeared. A disgruntled Taylor closed the door behind a smug looking Zach.

Zach got in the car and drove down the driveway. When we were a good distance from the house I climbed into the front seat.

"So what did he tell you?" I asked a smirking Zach.

"Everything."

I couldn't hide my exasperation. "Zach, details."

"Well because I'm so Goode I got him to give an address where she might be."

"Yeah I heard that, what else?" I demanded.

Zach looked surprise. "You did?"

"Yeah when I heard a crash I figured Taylor was kicking your ass so I came out to see if you needed rescuing." It was my turn to smirk.

Zach shook his head. "And you yell at me for not having confidence in you."

"Whatever Zach, so what else did you find out?"

"Taylor says that they still have Bex alive form what he last heard. He said that the estate has been a main COC safe house for forever, but if they have Bex there, they won't keep her there much longer." Zach turned to me as he said the last part.

I kept my face neutral, accepting the facts as they came. "Is that it?" I questioned.

Zach hesitated. "He said there was no way that we would be able to save her. He said that Bex knows too much, and the Circle is keeping a tight grip on her."

"Well," I smirked. "We knew too much, but we got out."

Suddenly my cell phone began to ring. I glanced at the caller ID – it was Liz.

"Hello."

"Hey Cam."

"Liz, what did you find?"

"Well, I mean Bex had access to a lot of files so it's hard to be sure if there was on in particular. Plus Bex was careful; I mean she covered her tracks with everything – which makes it so hard to believe that she was tracked down." Liz rambled.

"Liz," I said.

"Right sorry," she continued, "Anyway, one thing stood out. Bex did extensive research regarding an estate outside of Dublin."

"Let me guess, 9352 Derby Way."

"Why yes," Liz deflated when I guessed her news.

"Good Liz. Would you send all of Bex's intel on that over. Zach and I will be surveiling it tonight." Out of the corner of my eye Zach looked at me.

"Sure thing, be safe Cam."

"Bye Liz."

Closing the pone I looked at Zach.

Without looking at me he smirked. "Sounds like its stakeout time, Gallagher Girl."

Surveillance is just about the most important thing spies do. Ops couldn't happen without it and spying wouldn't be, well spying, if we didn't carry out surveillance. And surveillance is fun, if you're with someone you work well with…

But I didn't have time to worry about all that just yet because stakeouts require a lot of pre-work. Including packing highly classified devices, dressing in layers (most of them black), planning escape routes, and planning for meals (because spies get hungry too) and researching.

Our plan was to spend the night watching the mansion. If we were going to go in to find Bex, we had to know something about the layout of the building, amount of security, ect. Too be honest the idea of invading an enemy's castle, literally, didn't scare me nearly as much as the idea of spending a night with Zach in a car.

I mean, I had learned that dealing with really hot guys is a job hazard of being a spy. But Zach, he and I had a past, and after our dancing and fighting I had no clue where we stood.

Trying to externally hide my frustration, I focused on what I was doing. I was in charge of loading gear into a black duffle. Mentally reviewing my checklist, I pulled out my phone and fired a quick message to Liz letting her know what we were doing.

**Liz, **

**Zach and I are heading to Westerby Mansion to conduct surveillance. Expect a call-in from us tomorrow. **

Zach and I had spent all afternoon preparing and it was early evening. I was finally ready; dressed in all black and my hair in a high ponytail.

Again, we took Zach's car because it was black and a SUV.

Westerby Mansion was built in 1807 for the rich Westerby family. Its main building was over 15,. and there were several barns and quarters for the help. It was unknown how long the house had been a meeting place for the COC, but I had a suspicion that the walls of the mansion had seen plenty of evil pass through in their time.

I pondered all of this as we drove through the Irish countryside. The sun was still not visible because of the clouds overhead, but I knew that it was around sunset.

"Here," I pointed a road out to Zach. Obviously we couldn't take the main entrance, but I had found a back road that would get us on the property.

Zach turned off the road and made the car slowly creep down a wash boarded path.

After ten minutes and two left turns, the mansion came into sight. The trees hid us well, even though at first glance the place looked deserted.

The night grew darker as I looked through a pair of binoculars. There were fresh indentations from ties on the moist driveway. And through a curtain on the east side of the house, I saw a light turn on.

After my preliminary observations, Zach and I decided to sit back and just watch.

Not even half an hour later I felt my stomach begin to beg for food.

I turned to Zach who was still intently watching the grounds.

"What food did you bring?"

Zach smirked at me, "You're already hungry?"

I glared, "Yes. Now what do you have?"

Zach's smirk grew bigger, reaching behind my seat he literally pulled out a picnic basket. Where he got a picnic basket, I have no idea.

"Well Gallagher Girl," he opened it up and pulled out two beers and several white boxes with Chinese symbols on them. "It looks like its Chinese for dinner."

I shook my head and smiled. Then Zach handed me chopsticks. I. Hate. Chopsticks. I know several ways to kill men with them, but actually eating with them…not my forte.

But I was hungry so I grabbed a box, sniffed it and dug in, rather unsuccessfully. Zach just watched me with an amused smirk. Finally, he handed me a fork and I took it with relief. Several minutes later, there was two empty bottles and the only food left was soggy spring rolls that neither Zach nor I dared to eat.

It was completely dark now, and there were several lights on in the mansion, but so far we hadn't seen anybody.

There was a deaf silence in the car and I felt like filling it, but wasn't sure how. Courage finally came to me – and I turned to Zach, taking my eyes off the mansion.

"Zach why weren't you at Joe's funeral?" I noticed a twitch in his hardened jaw line. He too, tore his eyes away from the house and met my eyes.

"I just…couldn't. Joe was the one person who made it out of the Circle, and the thought of him begin gone, scared me." I felt Zach's emotions as he spoke and I knew it was the truth.

"It's okay to be scared Zach. We all are." I responded.

Zach nodded, and then reached toward the basket.

He pulled out a small white bag. "Fortune cookies." He explained with a small smile. He extended the bag toward me.

I leaned forward and grabbed one Zach nodded, "Go ahead."

I broke the cookie and laughed as I read the message. "A thrilling time is in your immediate future. I wonder what that could mean."

Zach laughed too. Then he opned his.

"Look ahead to new beginnings." A weird look came over his face, as if he wasn't quite sure how to take it. To be honest, I was a little hesitant to say anything. Zach gave a small smile. "I guess we'll see, right?"

I shrugged. "It's just a fortune cookie." Zach didn't reply, so we both watched the house as time passed by slowly.

"Tell me a secret, Cam." Zach said.

I gave him a confused look, "Why?"

"Because we all have secrets."

I thought a moment, not sure how to respond. "I don't think I ever really loved Mike."

Zach showed no reaction, like maybe what I'd said wasn't really a secret. "Tell me a secret, Zach."

There was another pause as Zach thought. "As a kid, all I ever wanted was a dog."

I stifled a laugh, but let a smile cross my face. "As a kid, all I ever wanted was to be able to fly, so that I could see my parents when they were away," I confessed.

The two of us sat there, swapping secrets, some pointless, some revealing. The moon came out overhead and the woods were illuminated in its glow.

After a good bit of laugher, Zach became serious. "Cam, there's something that you should probably know," he began. But my attention was ripped away from him when I saw movement in one of the windows.

"Shhh," I breathed as I lifted the night-vision binoculars. All I could see were shadows through the curtains, but I could tell there were four people. Three were big males, and one…one was a female. But she was bound and carried herself as if she was injured. "I think I see Bex," I gasped.

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><p><strong>So...what did you think? Review please! Ideas are still welcome!<strong>


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey guys! Happy Saturday! I finally got around to updating, I can't believe it's been sooo long. But...I got 100 reviews! You guys rock, which makes me feel awful for not being on top of things. But since you all are so great, I'm gonna post another chapter in just a couple hours! I can't thank you enough for loving my story so much! Enjoy! :D**

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><p>Chapter Sixteen<p>

My heart leapt to my throat. Sure, I was just watching shadows. But any girl knows her best friend, and I knew it was Bex; I knew. The reality that I could see her filled me with excitement, and fear.

Bex was clearly tired and defeated, that was all I was able to see before the figures moved away from the window. But I didn't move until the lights clicked off.

Turning to Zach, I found him watching the mansion with an intent gaze. His jaw line was stiff and I knew he was running through scenarios, assessing risks, being rational.

"Zach, we have to get her."

He gave me a look. "Cam, you know we can't right now, that would be stupid."

Inside, I knew Zach was right. But Bex was right here, right now!

"Zach if we wait, how much better a plan will we really have?"

"Cam, we have too. Liz will get us a floor plan of the mansion and we'll go in to get her, successfully."

"But Zach," I whined like a child.

"Shh Cam, you know I'm right. Why don't you sleep, I'll wake you up for your shift."

I wanted to argue, I really did. We were so close to Bex! She was alive! But I was insanely tired and my eyelids were very, very heavy.

"Okay," I nodded. Zach pulled a blanket out of the back and handed it to me. I took it and curled up. After a few minutes I was asleep.

Zach never did wake me up. In the early morning I woke up to it being almost dawn. The car was chilly as I drew the blanket tighter around my shoulders. For a moment, I wanted to go back to sleep. Back to the dark abyss where my best friend wasn't being held hostage by one of the most dangerous terrorist organizations in the world.

But I somehow found the willpower to turn my head to face Zach.

He was awake, keeping vigil; still watching the grounds. His eyes were red and I knew he had stayed up all night.

"Zach, why didn't you wake me up for my shift?" I asked quietly, almost scared to disturb the peace of the early morning.

Zach smiled. "I didn't have the heart to wake you."

I scoffed and sat up. "I'm sure you did." I ran my hand through my rat's nest of hair. "Did you really stay up all night?'

"Well yeah." Zach admitted.

"Thanks, wow I could have gotten up."

"It's okay, you needed to sleep."

I smiled at him. "Okay so did you see anything last night?"

He shook his head. "One guy walked from the west barn into the house but that was it. I did notice that they have video cameras at the main entrances to the house."

I grimaced, "Great. Well let's go back to the hotel and regroup, right?"

Zach nodded. He dug around the console for the keys, I noticed both of our fortunes left over from last night. Zach put the car in reverse and slowly backed out to the dirt path that took us back to the main road.

The ride home, or to the hotel, was mostly silent. Neither of us had energy to make small talk.

Arriving back at our room, we were both happy to discover it hadn't been ransacked like last time. I tossed a backpack on the bed, and turned to Zach. He spoke first.

"I'm gonna get in the shower, then we can start planning." He ran a hand through his hair; I could tell he was exhausted.

Zach went into the bathroom and I grabbed my phone and my laptop I called Liz and worked on a plan using blueprints she had somehow gotten based off the configuration of the building. I was absolutely certain that we were going to get Bex, no matter what.

A while later Zach came out of the bathroom and I went in to shower.

"Zach," I began to say as I walked out, freshly showered and dressed. But the sight of Zach sound asleep on the bed made me stop.

I smiled and walked over to gently touch his hair. His broad chest rose and fell evenly. We were both alive. We were both here, after all this time.

A look of peace was on his face and I knew I couldn't wake him up. So I silently went back to work. I had circled the room that we had see Bex in. It was on the second floor and appeared to be a bedroom.

My plan was to have Zach enter the basement through a low window that was on the west side of the building. From the basement he would enter the heating system and use the air ducts to make his way to the second floor.

Meanwhile I would go up the ivy that climbed the south side of the mansion. From there I had two options; if a window on the second floor was open I could enter that way, or I would go up to the roof and enter through the widow's walk.

Zach and I would have to split up, but if one of us was compromised the other still had a chance. We would take Bex out by the roof exit.

I was just done planning our timetable when Zach stirred. Groaning, he rubbed his face and sat up. He looked at me, then his watch.

"How long was I out?"

I shrugged, "A couple hours."

Zach shook his head. "Wow. I'm sorry. We've got a lot to do; I don't have time to sleep."

I protested. "Yes you do Zach. I don't want you going into an op on zero hours of sleep. And don't worry I've got a plan."

"Really?" He asked and came over to my bed where I had drawings and notes.

I continued to tell him my idea. Zach was quiet, until I finished.

When I did he nodded, "Is there video cameras in the house you can access?"

I was totally taken aback, why hadn't I thought of that?

"I bet you're right…hold on let me try." I spent a few minutes but soon enough there was six camera angles pulled up. Two were of hallways, three were entrances and exits, and one, one was in a room. The room was probably meant to be a bedroom, but it was empty. No furniture, except a rug covered the floor. Two giant mirrors were on the red walls. And in the middle, there was a chair, with Bex, tied up.

"Oh my gosh," escaped my lips.

Zach glanced from the blueprints to the camera. "It's the same room, based on shadow lengths and the amount of light," he said logically.

I just nodded numbly, staring at the screen.

"Cam," Zach put his hand on my shoulder, and pressed the Esc key the feed wasn't on my screen. "Cammie, we need to focus."

Zach was right and I knew it. So I detached myself and pulled every piece of spy reasoning in me to the surface. Now was no time for error.

So I listened as Zach pointed to vents, I watched as he paced the room. I gathered my comms unit and put it in when Zach told me. I clipped tools to my belt and I went over our plans a final time. I did everything I was supposed to, as if this mission wasn't personal.

In the car I snapped out of it. Zach and I took the same back entrance, but we weren't staying in the car this time. Zach glanced at his watch, which was synchronized with mine.

"We have 12 minutes, starting now."

I nodded. We both quietly exited the car and went our separate ways.

I approached the side of the house and gently moved aside the bushes to cut the security camera. Then taking a quick breath I grabbed hold of the ivy that ran up the side of the house. Skillfully, I planted my feet in the foliage and began to climb. Reaching the second floor, I tried my first option, the window. Naturally it was locked so I had to keep climbing. Because the roof entrance would take longer I had to move faster. I easily made it to the roof though; I crept up the slant to the widow's walk. Why they had a widow's walk on a country mansion was beyond me.

The trapdoor was obviously not in frequent use so I had to jiggle it. When it opened it creaked, causing me to grimace. I descended into an attic, which was not filled with boxes of Grandma's stuff. The whole room was eerily empty. A window near the peak of the roof allowed moonlight to stream in. I used it to find the way down to the second floor. The stairs were in the corner.

I tried to be as silent as possible. But it was insanely hard on century old wooden stairs. But I reached the landing and leaned against the door to listen for noise in the hallway. My comms unit was still silent on Zach's end. I still had two minutes until I had to be in Bex's room.

Using the utmost caution I eased the door open and slipped into the hallway. I glanced both ways to find the house dark, except for a light shining from the underneath the door to Bex's room.

Adrenaline was pumping as I reached up to cover the security camera near the top of the door to the attic. Then I began to make my way down the hallway.

I was so close to Bex. She was right in that room. But I couldn't go in for 45 more seconds. That is until two strong arms grabbed me. One covered my mouth. The other held me as the man pulled me into the neighboring bedroom.

I tried to fight, but this guy was strong, and huge. He threw me down on the bed and ripped off my mask. I groaned and prayed Zach would hear me.

The burly man smiled in a way that made me sick. Pinning my arms above me he leaned in and nuzzled my neck. I squirmed but he just scoffed.

"What is a girl like you doing in my mansion?" he breathed.

I tried to kick him but he shifted so he was on top of me. I felt nausea rising within me. This was not happening. Both of the man's hands were on my shoulders and he squeezed so hard, I knew there would be bruises.

"You will give me what I want." He demanded, "And maybe you'll get out of here alive."

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><p><strong>OoooOooo! So review! Please ;) I'd love to hear how my attempt at suspense was and what you want to see happen. <strong>

**I know its a cliff hanger but I promise it won't be a long wait at all! Hint: Next chapter will totally make up for the lack of Zammie! **

**You guys are the best! Again thanks for your patience. **


	17. Chapter 17

**Alright everyone, as promised, here is your double dose of my story! It's shorter than what I've been doing lately, but as I was revising, I didn't find the need to make it longer...I think you'll agree with me ;) Again thank you to all of you guys who get excited when I update, and if you just started reading my story, cool! Keep the reviews coming please! **

**Disclaimer: I'm not Ally Carter...in case you haven't figured that out.**

** If you haven't read Ch. 16, I'd go back and do that...**

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><p>Chapter Seventeen<p>

"No," I managed to mumble. I knew I could scream, but Zach had a shot of rescuing Bex and I was willing to be a sacrifice.

"Too bad," the man growled in my face. The odor of hard liquor emanated from his mouth. He then pressed his ruddy lips against my own. I squirmed and tried to move but his body weight and arms kept me down. I was helpless.

The man tore at the collar of my shirt, causing me to choke. He pulled his face away from mine and in the dim light I saw a smile of pure evil. His hand reached down to pull at my belt. I wasn't going to escape. Frustration and pain coursed through me, so that must have been why it surprised me that the two hands grabbing the man's neck were not my own.

Zach pulled the man off of me and in a sickening twist, killed him. He looked at me. I was panting and still lying on the bed. My shirt was torn and I knew I would have several bruises.

"Are you okay, Cam?" There was emotion in Zach's voice.

I nodded, too embarrassed to speak. I rolled off the bed and grabbed my mask.

"We still have to rescue Bex." I whispered.

Zach grabbed my hand and pulled me toward a heating duct.

"Kay Cam, follow my lead." He instructed.

Zach pulled himself up into the vent and with his help, I quickly followed. We only went a short ways until we came upon Bex's holding room.

Zach pulled the vented aside and counted to three silently. On three I jumped down.

I heard Zach land behind me. But manly I saw Bex and the two captors that flanked her sides, pulling her out of the room. Bex's eyes were wide with fear and I heard her yell, or try to yell.

But then the two captors pulled guns. I didn't react fast enough to pull my own weapon so I instinctively dodge. Zach though had his gun and returned fire. The captors didn't stick around. They were running down the hallway, towing Bex with them.

Zach and I recovered and began to chase them. They dragged Bex around to the front of the house and pulled her down the large main staircase. Zach and I juggled between dodging bullets and returning the.. If we could kill the two men, then we could grab Bex.

Glass and wood flew everywhere; the elegant mansion was in complete chaos. Zach and I stood at the top of the stairs as the two men were almost to the door. Finally, one of our shots made contact and one of the men went down. The other, though, didn't pause. He kept moving forward and fired one last shot at us. I saw Zach stumble backwards at the same moment I heard Bex scream.

I looked at the now empty doorway, they were gone. The squeal of tires was immediate. And I knew we had failed, it was over.

But I ran down the stairs to the wide open door anyways. I watched a van take off down the road. I was out of bullets. I fell against the door and sunk to the ground. Tears stung behind my eyelids. I heard footsteps come down the stairs and turned to see Zach, his arm bloody, even in the dim light. He gazed at me.

"I'm so sorry Cammie."

I shook my head and stood up, saying nothing.

"It's okay, I promise we'll get her."

"No!" The anger inside me found its way to the surface. "Zach, you don't get it! Bex is the one person who's been able to understand me! She's been with me through it all!" I shouted before my voice dropped to a whisper. "And now she's gone."

"Zach's eyes had pain in them, but I knew it wasn't because of his arm.

"Cammie, I'm here for you. You aren't alone."

But I wasn't done. "No Zach! It's different. Bex cares for me. She always has. She was there to support me through everything, even when you left!"

I now stood just feet away from him. I knew what I said hurt, but anger was in Zach's eyes when he said, "No Cam."

"It's true Zach. You left. Bex never has. She actually cares for me, unlike you." I spat.

Zach took two large steps so he was close to me. I backed up, but found a wall behind me. I was unsure of what I was supposed to do.

In the blink of an eye Zach's lips were on mine, and his arms found their way around me.

I pulled back, "Zach this isn't going to make anything better." I whispered.

But Zach just replied, "Don't ever say I don't care about you Cam. Ever." And then he kissed me again. Slowly I lost myself in the kiss, his lips felt as if they were meant to be with mine. I reached up and entangled my hands in his hair. A part of me was hesitant, as I knew this was dangerous. But a majority didn't want me to stop. The wall behind me gave me support because as Zach's mouth worked with mine, my knees felt weak.

Zach pulled away this time, we both needed to breathe. He held my gaze before I looked down. He took a step back, but his arms still held me.

"Cammie, I may have left but I didn't lose track of you. I was around; made sure you were safe. And never, never did I forget you for a second."

I looked at him, but then the part of me that had no idea what was happening took over. I bit my lip and looked at his arms.

"C'mon Zach, we need to get out of here and get that taken care of." I nodded toward his bloody wound.

Internally I was screaming at myself and Zach looked disappointed. But I couldn't do this there, right then.

Zach stepped away and I instantly missed the feel of his arms around me.

"Okay," he said, "Let's go."

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><p><strong>So, did that make up for me missing Vday? But trust me, don't think things are going to be great between Zammie, because I've got a lot in store for them...<strong>

**As I've said before, I'm going to update as soon as I can...I promise it won't be as awful as it has been lately, but until then, keep your feedback and ideas coming. I actually get parts of my story from just little comments you guys make. Thanks for reading!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Woohoo! Chapter 18! I honestly would have had it up earlier, but FF wouldn't let me upload documents...so I managed to squeeze in time this morning. Anyways...thanks so much for all the great reviews as always, you guys are amazing. I'm soooo lucky! As my gift to you...here's chapter 18!**

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><p>Chapter Eighteen<p>

Zach kissed me. Bex was still in danger. I kissed Zach. Those three thoughts pounded through my brain for the next hour. Not in that order, okay yes in that order.

We didn't leave the mansion immediately. Not before we took photos and IDed the two dead men. One was Ralph Morrison, the second Lee Craw. We swept the mansion, but found nothing. The whole time there was a new tension between Zach and I; a new awkwardness.

Zach had torn part of his shirt to tie around his arm to stint the blood flow. But when we got back to the car I noticed he was in genuine pain.

"Here," I said as I opened the back hatch and pulled out a first aid kit.

Zach pulled off his bloody shirt and I desperately struggled to not let his toned muscles distract me.

I looked at Zach's upper arm. It was worse than I originally thought. Although the bullet had just grazed him, it was a deep graze. I poured some alcohol over it and Zach grimaced, but allowed me to continue working. I wrapped thick gauze around the wound. When I looked up I caught Zach studying me.

"We're going to get through this." He told me and brought his hand to gently brush hair out of my face.

I don't know why, but those words made me want to sob. Emotion rose within me and I just nodded and stared at his face in the dim light that came from the car. The night grew black around d us and I wished the events of that day could disappear with the sun.

Zach's eyes dropped to the collar of my shirt. He gently pulled at the tear to reveal bruises and scratches. He touched one and I instinctively flinched.

"Oh Cam, that bastard," he whispered.

I gently removed his hand. "It's okay Zach, I'll clean them up when we get back, I promise."

Zach turned to put the first aid kit back. I walked to the driver's side door and waited for him to get in.

Zach go in on the passenger side and I started the engine, but kept the headlight off. Slowly I pulled out onto the dirt road. I heard a low pulsing noise and Zach rolled down his window. A helicopter was over the mansion with a spotlight roaming over the grounds.

I instantly sped up, getting out of there as fast as possible was imperative. I held my breath until we got on the main road and away from the horrid mansion.

As we headed back toward the city, I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel.

"So what do we do now, Zach?" I asked him.

"I say our best bet is to track Ryan Solomon down. Somehow the Circle is staying one step ahead of us and he just might be the guy to help us. Besides, he was the last person we know of who was in contact with Bex." Zach said.

"I agree," I said while running a hand through my hair. "Now we just have to figure out where he is." I sighed, "I'm can't believe all this is happening. I'm going to have to call headquarters and explain the mess we left behind." I cast a sidelong glance at Zach.

"Yeah, but at least we know what we're doing with," Zach tried to console me. "And we'll get her next time."

"If there is a next time," I whispered. The lights of the city now surrounded us, even though the streets were mostly quiet. A feeling of exhaustion consumed me, and Zach was quiet. We both knew that this business didn't always give you second chances.

I parked the car at the hotel, but didn't get out immediately. Zach walked around and opened my door.

"C'mon Gallagher Girl."

I reluctantly got out of the car. As we walked through the hotel I thought about how conspicuous we looked, even though Zach had put on a different shirt and I was wearing a jacket over my torn top.

The instant we got back to the hotel all I wanted to do was sleep. But I had to fill out an operations report. Zach volunteered to call Langley, and I was relieved because as I put the details of the night down I almost lost it. Images of Bex screaming and guns firing flashed through my mind. I tactfully skipped over Zach and my earlier conversation and the kiss. The CIA didn't need to know that.

The night dragged on and I soon dozed off. Zach woke me and I obediatntly agreed to go to bed.

Morning came entirely too fast. I awoke to the sound of the door opening. Zach walked in with two coffees. I sighed and closed my eyes.

"You scared me." I told him, still not opening my eyes.

Zach laughed and I heard him set one of the cups down on the nightstand. The tantalizing smell forced me to sit up.

I took a sip and Zach watched me. I didn't comment on the fact that he knew how I took my coffee. I rubbed my eyes. "What time is it?"

"Eight twenty-two." Zach responded instantly.

"Ugh," I groaned.

"How are you doing?" I knew Zach was talking about yesterday's events.

I forced a small smile, "Okay, thanks for the coffee. Where did you get it?"

"A place about a block from here, which by the way has a pretty cute barista." Zach's smirk was back. I rolled my eyes at his comment and climbed out of bed.

Wandering over to the desk I noticed a picture of the email address I had taken at Taylor's house. I picked it up.

Zach noticed me reaching for my laptop. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm going to see what this email address is," I replied.

I logged on to a server and easily found the email provider. I typed in the address and password and was dismayed at what I initially found.

"Empty." An empty inbox stared back at me on my computer screen. Zach walked up behind me and watched as another empty "Sent" folder appeared on my screen.

"Click on Drafts." Zach instructed.

I did and was surprised to see several drafts. "Idiots were too stupid to delete them," Zach muttered. "A technique we learned at Blackthorne was to write drafts and save them to a shared email account, not many people know about it," he explained.

I nodded, and then one of the dates caught my eye; the most recent one. "Zach this was written last night."

I clicked on it and read through. Sure enough it talked about "primary headquarters being compromised" and "target is being transported to finish her: and then there was an address.

I quickly scribbled it down. As I was doing so there was a knock at the door.

Zach and I both glanced up and then at each other. WE both had no idea who it could be. Zach grabbed his gun and motioned for me to open the door. I stood up and slowly made my way to the door. The thought that I was still in my pajamas briefly crossed my mind.

Glancing through the peephole I saw a young man. He shifted from foot to foot and clearly hadn't shaved in days.

I raised a hand to Zach and swung the door open.

The young man was way more attractive up close. Piercing blue eyes met my own. There was something about his rugged good looks that was familiar.

"Hi," the mystery man began, "I'm Ryan Solomon."

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><p><strong>So Ryan Solomon makes his grand appearance...<strong>

**What did you guys think? Please give me your ideas/feedback in a review! **

**I have a Q for you guys to answer too. I know that in less than two weeks GG5 will come out (!) But I'm curious to see if you guys want me to continue this story even though it may not fit in with the books as much anymore? I'd love to keep writing and at least finish this story so please let me know!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Well I'm taking this story out of hiatus, I just couldn't stand not finishing it! I know I said I was done, but I really do love the story and it's so much fun to write! I hope everyone isn't too mad at me... Now this doesn't mean my updating schedule will be what I want it to be, but I'm really going to try. Thanks if you're going to give me a second chance! Here's Chapter 19!**

**P.S. All those people who yelled at me to keep going, I owe you. Big. Time.**

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><p>Chapter Nineteen<p>

Staring at the man who framed the doorway I heard Zach take the safety off of his gun behind me.'[

"How do we know you're not lying?" Zach asked.

The man who claimed to be Ryan Solomon raised his hands. "Because I'm not."

Something inside me made me believe him. I turned to Zach. "Put the gun down. I believe him." The man nodded his thanks to me.

"Mind if I come in?" The man took a few steps forward and I closed the door behind him.

Zach tossed his gun on the bed but warily studied Joe Solomon's son. By looking at him you could see the resemblance in the man's handsome features. But his eyes were different; a deep blue that seemed familiar though I couldn't quite place it. His build was similar to Zach's though his shoulders weren't as broad. His hair was short, almost military length. His face was handsome, but held a look of intelligence to it. The guy was everything you would expect from Joe Solomon's son.

Ryan cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable in Zach's and my gaze. His eyes shifted to me and the fact that I was still in my t-shirt and pants that I had slept in was made acutely aware to me.

Thankfully Zach spoke, "Why are you here Ryan?"

Ryan turned to give his attention to Zach. "Because of Bex. And I heard about what went down last night. We are all playing the same game and I think you need me, so last night doesn't happen again." He turned to me. "Bex told me about you Cammie." A small smile formed on his lips. "She told me that you knew my father, and she made me feel like I could trust you." His eyes held a look of desperation. I glanced at Zach for a second, then back to Ryan.

"Okay, I think you at least deserve to be heard out. Can we meet somewhere later today? I'm not exactly dressed to go out." I pointedly glanced down at my ensemble.

Ryan nodded. "There's a pub called O'Malley's. We'll meet there around 1100?" He outstretched a hand to Zach and Zach shook it firmly.

"We'll see you there." I walked him back to the door. Ryan nodded to me and slipped back into the hallway. I bolted the door behind him and turned to stare at Zach. He was pacing the room.

"So, looks like we aren't going to have to track Ryan Solomon down." I said, breaking the silence.

Zach sat down on one of the beds. I pulled a chair to face him and sat down too. "I think we can trust him."

"Do you Cammie?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, I don't believe Ryan could make the mistake his father did and honestly we don't have a choice."

Zach nodded. "You're right Gallagher Girl. I just don't want either of us to get hurt."

I smiled. "We won't Zach. And I trust you, but you've got to trust me here." I looked into his deep green eyes.

"I do Cammie," he responded. Then a strange look crossed his face and he looked down at his palms. "There's something you need to know Cam. When I talked to headquarters they said," he paused, "they said we only have three weeks. If we don't get Bex in three weeks, they're pulling the mission and forcing us to come home."

"Seriously? We've been here just a few days and they're giving us a deadline?"

"I'm sorry. At least we have time. You know sometimes the CIA doesn't do rescue missions."

I didn't agree. I stood up and grabbed clothes. "I'm showering so we can go and DO something." With that, I went into the bathroom. I took a few deep breaths and tried to calm my frustration. I stared at my reflection; it was the same face I had seen a million times.

After my shower I walked out to find Zach circling something. He looked at me, "Come look at this."

I made my way to him and found a local map, like one that tourists use, set out on the desk. An address was circled in red pen.

"I found the address in the email." Zach said a hint of pride in his voice.

Zach tossed me the keys, "You drive." I knew his arm was bothering him, but he wasn't going to admit it.

The drive through the city was silent. IT was an overcast day and the roads were relatively quiet. I wove around Dublin, trying to appear to not have a particular destination just in case anybody was tailing us. Finally I turned onto the road where the address was located.

I don't know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't a glamorous apartment complex. The building rose at least twelve stories tall and had ornate detailing to the exterior. It was probably the home to some of Dublin's finest.

"Why would they keep Bex here?" I asked the obvious. "I mean how did they get her in there without raising suspicion? Bex was in pretty bad shape, you don't think anybody would notice her in that complex?" I questioned.

Zach shrugged. "The Circle has plenty of power. They could have paid off people, or maybe the entire building is Circle of Cavan." I cringed at that thought.

"But it's not like we can go marching in with her picture and ask if they've seen her. That's asking to get caught." Zach reasoned.

We were parked across from the building and I pulled out my camera to snap picture of the building. Zach glanced at his watch.

"It's almost time to meet your friend Ryan." I heard the edge in Zach's voice and turned to look at him.

"You don't trust him, do you?" I asked.

Zach shrugged. "I don't trust most people." I rolled my eyes at his comment.

"Yes, but please believe me when I tell you I think he can help. Please, Zach."

"I guess we'll see what he has to say," was Zach's response.

I sighed and pulled the car back out onto the street.

O'Malley's Pub definitely wasn't home to Dublin's finest. It was a small, dingy building from the outside and it instantly reminded me of a bar outside of London Bex had once taken me to. Let's just say I didn't have fond memories.

As we got out of the car I looked at Zach. "Seems like your kind of place." I half-joked.

Zach cocked his head. "Hardly, Gallagher Girl," he smirked, "I like a place with a little less appeal."

The interior of the building closely resembled the outside. The room was dark except for a few low lights that hung above the bar and booths. A few TVs hung in the corners. It looked the part of an old Irish pub. The place was only partially full, and I easily spotted Ryan in a booth near the back.

I made my way toward Ryan and we locked eyes. He held my gaze, his deep blue eyes never wavering.

"I'm glad you guys chose to come." Ryan said in his British accent. Something mentally clicked when he spoke.

"Who is your mother, Ryan?" I asked on a whim.

Ryan looked relatively surprised, "Mary Townsend," he replied. A look of question was in his eyes.

I inhaled sharply and looked at Zach, who looked mildly amused.

"Townsend. As in the sister to Edward Townsend?" I asked. Ryan nodded.

"You're Townsend's nephew?" Zach raised his eyebrows and smirked.

"Yes, Uncle Edward practically raised me." Ryan explained. "Do you guys know him?"

I smiled, "You could say that."

Zach mumbled something and smiled to himself.

I decided to go straight to business. "Okay Ryan, how did you become a part of this mess?"

Ryan explained how he had gotten in touch with Bex and how the two of them had worked to catch Jason Snider. I could tell he was editing what he told us about the relationship between him and Bex.

"We were getting really close, and then she disappeared. I don't know what happened." Ryan finished, "I've been trying to find her and then you guys came, and I think we would both benefit by teaming up."

"Wait," Zach held up his hand, "How long have you known we were in town?"

"For several days, I kept tracked you guys down when you were staying at your first hotel and the it took me a while to find you again once you moved."

"So why did you wait until now to make contact?" I questioned.

Ryan shrugged and sipped the water in front of him. "I wanted to make sure you guys were serious, not just some operatives who were going to make a half-assed effort."

"But if Bex told you that you could trust me, why were you doubtful?"

Ryan leaned back, "I've learned that in this business you have to do the research yourself before coming to any conclusions, Ms. Morgan."

Right then I swore those words could have come from Joe Solomon's mouth.

"So," Zach spoke, "what exactly do you plan for us to do now?"

"Well they've obviously moved Bex; rumor is she's at some sort of hotel or apartment complex."

Zach nodded, "We believe we know which one."

Ryan raised his eyebrows. "Well then I believe we start surveilling, and our first step is to get eyes on the inside."

"That boys, is where I come in."

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><p><strong>Okay, so how was it? I feel so out of practice, it's been a while...<strong>

**What do you think about the Solomon/Townsend gene pool? Hehe I like Townsend in a love/hate way, so I had to put him in the story.**

**Criticism**** and comments are definitely welcomed! Thank you for reading!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Woohoo! Chapter 20...and I updated mid-week! A big shout-out to all who reviewed the last chapter, most of you got a PM from me about it, but for those who don't have an account, here's your thanks! **

**I hope you guys like Chapter 20!**

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><p>Chapter Twenty<p>

I ran through my idea as the two boys listened closely. I could tell what Zach thought even before I finished. Sure enough, I was right.

"I don't know; I'm not sure if that is the best plan." Zach hesitated when I finished.

"Really? And you have a better idea on how to bug the place?" I countered.

"I should at least go in with you."

"No way. How would that work? I'm perfectly capable of doing this myself."

"You're planning on walking into a building that possible has some members of the most danger terrorist organization in the world inside. **Alone**."

"I'm pretty sure that comes with the job description."

Ryan had been watching the whole discussion between Zach and I without saying a word. I turned to him, "What do you think?"

"I think you're both right." Cammie, going in alone is a bad idea, but we do need to get eyes and ears in there soon." Ryan was clearly trying to remain neutral.

I thought a moment. "Okay. How about Jane goes in with me? Riley and her offered to help, and we could probably use the two of them." I suggested.

"Absolutely not." Zach shook his head, "We can't bring anyone else in. Not only with MI6 be upset for us making this their mess too, but two more people are two more liabilities."

Ryan nodded. "How about I go in too? Not with you, but I can be in the building in case things go awry."

At this point the waitress was starting to give us looks; hinting that we should leave.

"Alright guys, fine. Ryan you can go in as backup. But Zach you're outside watching the perimeter. We **are** just bugging the place."

Ryan gave me a look of approval. Zach grudgingly nodded.

"Well then, I suppose we should meet somewhere near the hotel." Ryan suggested.

"There's a parking lot across the street with good visual. We drive a –" Zach was cut off.

"Oh I already know you drive." Ryan interrupted. Zach glared, but Ryan just stood, and with a wink in my direction, walked toward the door.

"He is such Solomon's son," Zach said as he slid out of the booth. I followed and graciously took Zach's hand when he offered it as help.

I stood and straightened my shoulders before turning to Zach.

"I guess we'll see if he operates like Joe too."

We walked to the car in silence and I opened the driver's door. I pulled away from O'Malley's and Zach still didn't say anything. I could tell he was thinking seriously, and I also knew better than to pull him out of his thought.

He did question when I parked in front of a small boutique. One that had a pink awning and fancy dresses in the window.

"What are we doing here?" He demanded.

I smirked. "You didn't really think that I already had something to wear, did you? Besides, Macey once told me 'every great op deserves a great outfit'. Don't worry I'll be quick, just stay here." I said and closed the door before he could protest.

An impressive ten minutes later, I walked out of the shop with two bags. Zach didn't complain when I got in the car. He just flashed a signature smirk and said, "This better have been worth the wait."

Back at the hotel, I made a beeline for the bathroom, leaving Zach in charge of getting comms and bugs together. Meanwhile I took a shower and began my attempt to make myself look show-stopping.

I curled my hair and then proceeded to pin it into a fancy up-do; managing to only burn myself once. I applied a liberal amount of makeup, using the tricks Macey had showed me to bring out my eyes. After I finished I looked in the mirror and smiled, proud of my work.

Then I slipped on my dress. It was flashy, metallic silver strapless mini dress. The dress itself was simple but when I put it on, brought attention to my figure. The short skirt made my legs look miles longer and the hugging fit made my waist look tiny. Normally, I wouldn't have worn such a dress in public, but it worked for what I needed to do.

But there was one problem. I couldn't zip the zipper. I was able to grasp it, but didn't have the range of motion to pull it upwards. After spending several frustrating minutes attempting to zip it and swearing several times in several different languages, I sucked it up and opened the bathroom door.

"Zach," I called, trying to hide the utter embarrassment in my voice.

"Yes Cam?" I heard him get up and walk around the corner to the bathroom door where I was standing. I noticed he did a slight double-take when he saw me, but he instantly covered it with a smirk.

I turned around so my back was facing him, "I need you to zip me up."

Zach laughed, "Sure thing, Gallagher Girl."

I rolled my eyes to myself, trying to cover my embarrassment with annoyance.

I felt Zach's fingers on my back as he zipped the dress ever so slowly. When he was finally done I spun around to face him and was surprised to find how close we were.

Zach's eyes instantly found the bruises and scratches on my shoulders. He reached to gently run his hand slowly over them, as if he wished he could heal me with just his touch.

His fingers on my skin was like fire and I tried my hardest not to blush when his eyes me my own. "You don't have to do this Cammie. You can stay safe." Zach whispered.

I said nothing as he reached to softly touch my cheek. There was nothing I want to do more at that moment than collapse into his arms and hide from the danger, but I couldn't.

"Cammie," Zach barely breathed my name. There was a pleading in his voice. His hands softly gripped my shoulders. I dropped my eyes, and placed both my hands on his broad chest. "It's okay Zach." I began. "I have to do this." I lifted my chin to meet his gaze and let my arms fall back to my sides.

"I have to do this," I breathed those words a second time; inside I wasn't sure if I said them to convince Zach or myself.

Zach took a step back and I leaned into the bathroom to grab the pink cropped jacket I had purchased to hide the bruises. I slipped it on and gave Zach a small smile.

"Here," he walked over to the desk and gave me a small comms unit. As I took it, he placed a matching one in his own ear.

Zach proceeded to give me several small bugging units that I stored in one of the small pockets on my jacket.

"You ready?" he raised his eyebrows.

I nodded and slipped my feet into my insanely high heels.

As Zach and I walked through the lobby I could feel the eyes of every guy in the room on me. But glares from Zach kept all of them away. Except for one.

"Emily!" Someone called my cover name.

I spun around and Zach stopped. Nate stepped off an elevator and strode toward us.

"Who the hell is he?" Zach asked through gritted teeth.

"I'll take care of it," I replied then plastered a smile on my face.

"Hey," I said as Nate reached us.

"Hey, you're still in town." Nate replied. He looked at Zach and there was no sign of intimidation, even though Zach was giving him a pretty harsh look.

"Yeah. Nate this is my friend Daniel. We're traveling together. Daniel, this is Nate. I met him at the pool the other day."

Nate and Zach shook hands, but they gripped each other for a second too long for it to be friendly.

"It's so nice to meet Emily's _friend_." Nate said. Zach smirked and look at his watch.

"Well Emily and I have plans so I guess you'll have to excuse us."

"Oh? Well I'll see you around then," Nate said, mainly to me. He winked and walked off.

Before Zach could say anything I walked away as fast as possible, but in heels I was limited. I practically ran to the car and quickly got inside and closed the door. I watched Zach casually saunter to our SUV. He watched me through the windshield.

"Making friends are we Gallagher Girl?" Zach spoke as he got in the car.

"I'm sorry Zach. But it's no big deal—"

"No," Zach interrupted. "You don't seem to get it Cammie. He's someone who knows we're here. And you didn't tell me."

"Ugh," I hit the steering wheel. "Zach he's some businessman from Boston, not a terrorist! I'm no stupid, okay? After I got back from the pool I didn't feel like telling you because I knew you'd over-react, and he's not a threat." I glared.

Zach shook his head, "Yeah there are definitely NO terrorists in Boston. Cam, I don't understand why you take stupid risks like this! Lack of communication is dangerous. Look at what happened to Bex because she left Ryan out of the loop."

"Zach! Don't you bring Bex into this! You treat me like I'm half the operative you are! I'm sick of it!" I shook my head and threw the car into gear. "Whatever, I'm done arguing." I closed the conversation but the tension remained.

I zipped up next to the car that Ryan Solomon was leaning against in the agreed parking lot. I grabbed my purse, glared one last time at Zach, and got out of the car. I couldn't resist the urge to slam my door.

The smile that was on Ryan's face as he checked me out vanished when he saw my expression. A not-so-happy-looking Zach appeared around the rear of the car and Zach looked back and forth between the two of us.

"Lover's quarrel?" Ryan guessed.

"Shut up." Zach and I said at the same time in response.

I stood with my hip cocked. "You ready Solomon?" My eyes dared him not to be.

"Yeah," Ryan snapped into action. "Zach there's a laptop with security cameras pulled up so you can watch. Cam, I'll be right behind you, there's a bar in the lobby, so I'll hang there while you work."

"Alright then." I grabbed my shades from my purse and slid them over my eyes. Spinning around I took long confident strides toward the impressive building. If the Circle had any sense, they were not about to attempt to keep me from my best friend.

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><p><strong>Ahahaha, the next chapter is going to be good...or should I say Goode?<strong>

**Zach and Cammie's relationship will remain an important focus in the story even though we are getting into some actiony chapters...**

**Please, please, please review? :D**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey! Ugh, I hate that it's been like forever, but here's Chapter 21! Thank you so much for all the crazy awesome reviews I got for chapter 20...sorry it took so long on the update. Things have been insane busy and there were technical difficulties. I have a new system for updating though that should work better than what I've been doing...**

**I know this chapter may not have all of the action you wanted, but I promise that I'm getting there. Sorry if it seems like this story is drawn out...**

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><p>Chapter Twenty-One<p>

I stepped through the revolving door into the impressive lobby of our target building. To my right steps led down to a trendy bar area where several businessmen sat sipping cocktails. The center of the grand room held an elaborate fountain that shot water into the air, but didn't come close to reaching the 20 foot tall ceilings. Trendy music was playing softly in the background and added to an atmosphere that just screamed money and influence.

I took all of this in as I made my way to the counter that stood behind the fountain. Two concierges stood behind; both of them male. I smiled; this made my job even easier.

Sure enough, as I reached the counter both of the guys eyed me in a way that was more than casual. I tried to hide my disgust and smiled innocently while pulling my shades up to set them on my head.

One of them spoke, "How may I be of service Miss?" The one named "Jared" asked.

"Oh, well I'm new to the area and I'm interested in finding a place to stay. Several of my friends recommended this lovely building. I was wondering if I could look at a few spaces that are available?" I said while tilting my head and keeping a sweet smile on my lips.

Zach must have given Ryan a comms unit, because I heard him speak in my ear. "I've entered the building; I'll be at the bar."

Not making it obvious that I could hear him, I continued talking to the concierge as he tapped away on his computer. "You know, this really is a lovely building, and I wouldn't mind having to see you two every day," I cooed

Unfortunately the concierge decided to not fall for my act. "I'm terribly sorry Miss, but you cannot see units in this building without an appointment. I'm afraid it's our policy." Internally I was thinking about every single way I could single handedly take the concierge down. But I played it cool.

Leaning even closer over the counter, I looked at him. "Are you sure you can't make any exceptions? I promise that it will be worth your time." I gave it one last shot. I also took the opportunity to place a bug on the underside of the counter.

Jared shook his head again no. I silently cursed and moved on to plan B.

"Oh well what a disappointment. But before I go is there any way I could use your ladies' room?" I asked.

Jared apparently decided I was harmless and took pity on me. "Yes, you may. It's just down the hall by the elevators across from the business center."

Finally something was going my way. I quickly thanked the concierge and took the hallway toward the elevators. Lucky for me, a man was just stepping on one to go up to an above floor. I slipped in the elevator just as the door was closing.

The man avoided all eye contact so I didn't make any attempt to chat. I randomly pressed a floor from the elevator buttons and then took the opportunity to study the man in the reflection off the doors.

He was dressed in an expensive business suit, and carried a classic black briefcase. His rather small face had beady eyes that were enlarged by glasses. He wasn't at all attractive, and something about his manner made me slightly uneasy.

The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. I waited a moment when my fellow companion didn't get off before realizing that this was my floor. I hastily exited the elevator and looked around. As I did so the comms unit in my ear was filled with the sound of Zach's voice.

"Cam, what the bloody hell are you doing! Get out of the building now! You have no idea what you are going into!" Zach warned.

"Stop Zach. I'm on the eighth floor, the concierge wasn't any help at all, but I was able to catch an elevator. Ryan, is there any way that you can tell me what floor Jason Snider has a room on?" I said in a low tone as I walked down the hallway, trying to get a lay of the land.

"I'll try Cam, but there are no guarantees." Ryan replied.

"Cammie, stop. Come out here and we'll regroup." Zach continued to plead.

"No Zach," I'm doing this with or without you." I hissed. "Now pull up blueprints of the building and tell me where I'm going."

Zach decided to take my advice, because I heard him type on a laptop. But then opportunity struck my eye.

A maid had just come out of a room with a cleaning cart. I casually walked down the hall toward her, but when I got near I stumbled slightly on my tall heels. I grabbed her arm for support and she reached to steady me.

"Watch your step," she smiled. What she didn't notice was me reach for the all-access key card that was clipped to the cart. Of course, I did it in an instant, so not many people would.

I continued down the hall and took a left, still unsure of where I was going.

"We're golden boys, I got an all-access key. Now Zach, where am I going?" I whispered.

"Okay Cam, if you continue to go straight, there should be a stairwell. Ryan, we need your intel." Zach said.

I walked down the hall until I saw a door labeled "EMERGENCY EXIT" "Okay boys, let's go." I demanded.

Moments later, Ryan finally spoke. "Oh you guys so owe me. Don't ask me how, but Jason Snider apparently has a room on the eleventh floor."

"Good job Ryan," I started pounding up the stairs. My heels killed my feet but I ignored the pain. When I reached the eleventh floor I eased through the door and looked around. Again, the hallways were vacant. I figured the rooms must get bigger the higher the floor number, because doors were spaced farther apart. Spotting a table near the elevator that sported a large floral arrangement, I placed an audio/visual bug.

I continued down hallways and placed bugs at key vantage points that would give us the best audio-video feed. Since we didn't know what room Snider was in, I couldn't bug just one area of the floor. When I had placed all the bugs I walked back to the elevators, only to find they required a room key to move down or up.

I groaned, it was back to the stairs. I was down to the fifth floor when I heard the voices. Footsteps echoed as two people made their way up in my direction. I froze, listening and trying to figure out what to do.

"We need a higher security area, taking chances is stupid." A male voice drifted up to my ears.

"If we make it easy for them, they'll come." Another man countered. "And that's just what we want."

I swallowed and realized they were on the floor beneath me. I slipped onto the fifth floor and prayed that they were going to continue up.

Naturally, they didn't. Shortly after I slipped into the fifth floor hallway, I heard the door open. I quickly turned to head back to the stairs and pretended to be looking for something.

One of the men nearly smacked into me, as I had hoped. I put a look of shock on my face and reached to slip an earring out of my ear.

"Oh my, I'm so sorry sir," I seemed to have dropped an earring." I blushed intentionally and batted my eyes innocently.

My ploy worked as neither of the men proceeded to look suspicious. One of them gave me a strange look though, but the other man elbowed him.

"No sorry miss. Please excuse us." The second man said and they both stepped past me. I couldn't help but smirk. I was good.

This time I managed to make it down to the lobby. I walked back down the hallway with the elevators and toward the fountain. I didn't worry about the concierge noticing me, I was the Chameleon, even in this dress.

I stepped through the revolving door and I exited the building I felt somebody walk up behind me.

"You work almost as well as your father." I commented.

Ryan grunted, "I wouldn't know. You don't operate too bad yourself."

I stopped and spun around to face him as we reached the street.

"I don't mess around when my best friend is being held by terrorists." I looked at his incredibly blue eyes. He stepped closer to me, so that we were almost touching.

"I don't mess around either." He cocked his head slightly. "I think we'll work well together." Then he nodded to something behind me. "You know, he's only looking out for you." I glanced over my shoulder to see Zach sending me and Ryan a smoldering glare from his spot behind the wheel of our car.

I shrugged. "I can look out for myself." Ryan shook his head and stepped back.

We both crossed the street. "It would be good if I could rent a room in that building." Ryan pointed toward the hotel that I hadn't noticed. "We can conduct 24/7 surveillance from there."

I smiled. "Yeah, that's smart."

We reached the car and I opened the door to slide into the passenger seat, Ryan walked around and Zach rolled down the driver's window to talk to him.

"So I'm going to go see if I can rent a room at that hotel right there," he pointed it out to Zach. "I'll request a room that faces the street so we can set up eyes on the building and run 24/7 surveillance. Do you guys just want to hang tight here?" Ryan asked.

Zach nodded, processing and agreeing, "Yeah, we have to talk anyways," he sent a sidelong glance in my direction.

Ryan nodded and turned back to his car. Zach rolled up his window and I reached to take off my heels.

"So, I think I covered areas that will give us really good intel." I broke the awkward silence.

"Cam," Zach said coolly, and I straightened up to look at him.

"Zach, I stopped him, I know what you're going to say. I took a risk. It could have turned out badly. But it didn't. And we have to get Bex somehow." I rambled.

But Zach just shook his head and reached over to touch my face. "Gallagher Girl. We're playing a dangerous game. And I don't want to see you get hurt." His ran his thumb over my cheek. "And that means that we can't go into stuff like this constantly arguing."

I bit my lip and nodded slowly. Zach dropped his hand. Then I remember something.

"Zach," I said. "Don't you think that was all entirely too easy? They didn't have any security cameras in the stairwells or hallways. But yet there was something off about that place."

Zach shrugged, "Well it was easy, but we're also highly trained agents."

I shifted in my seat. "No. When I was coming down the stairs, there were two guys coming up. I managed to avoid them, but I did overhear part of their conversation. They said that "if we make it easy for them, they will come". Do you think they know we're onto them?"

I looked to Zach's face for some sort of reaction but I couldn't read his expression. "I don't know Gallagher Girl."

I was about to press him for more, when his phone rang. He reached to grab it and after glancing at the screen, took the call.

The volume was too low for me to hear who it was on the other end, and Zach didn't say anything until the end.

"Okay," He ended the call.

"Who was that?" I asked.

"Ryan." Zach replied. "It looks like its stakeout time."

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><p><strong>Oh stakeouts, so much fun! I'd love to hear feedback in a review, constructive criticism is always welcome!<strong>

**Check out my profile page for when to expect updates! :D Thanks for reading!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey everyone!**

**Bad news: This update is wayyyy overdue! (I hope you guys will somehow forgive me)**

**Good news: It's summer! Which means *fingers crossed* faster updates and better chapters!**

**I really want to wrap this story up, so hopefully that means I'll be more motivated to write! I hope all of you are having an amazing summer! ;)**

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><p>Chapter Twenty-Two<p>

The Pros and Cons to a Stakeout

A List by Cammie Morgan

Pro: Stakeouts usually provide a lot of downtime which can be used to relax and catch up on sleep.

Con: In this case, that downtime would be spent with Agent Goode and Agent Solomon.

Pro: You get to people watch and have very cool gadgets that help you watch.

Con: Sometimes those gadgets don't work correctly which leads to some severe swearing.

Pro: You don't have to worry about what you're wearing since you aren't going anywhere.

Con: You are spending all your time with two hot guys, so you worry about what you're wearing anyways.

"Well, here we are." Ryan swung open the door to the large hotel suite he had bought for us to conduct surveillance in for the next few days. Ryan had requested a room on the top floor that had large bay windows that faced the building across the street. I made no comment as I walked in and looked around. To the right were one bedroom, and a bathroom. The majority of the suite was dedicated to the living room area, where two couches, a fireplace, a coffee table, and kitchenette, and a study corner were located.

I walked over to the window and looked out. Streetlights were beginning to turn on as the sun went down. It was early evening, and people were walking about, enjoying the pleasant atmosphere. Since the hotel was located in a rather upscale area, nice restaurants were nearby and no doubt people were heading toward where they planned to spend an enjoyable evening.

Zach walked up behind me, and I changed my gaze so that our eyes met in the reflection of the mirror. I held it for a moment, then broke it as Ryan cleared his throat.

Both Zach and I turned around to look at him. He was standing by the door that was now closed. "So where do we begin?" He asked.

"I guess Zach and I have to go back to our hotel to pick up our stuff. And I need to, um, change." I glanced down at my rather ridiculous outfit to make my point. "And we can pick up food too, because I don't know about you, but I'm kind of hungry." I suggested.

Zach shrugged, "Works for me." He looked to Ryan, "Don't you need to grab your stuff too? The more devices we have trained on this place the better," he jerked his thumb to the building across the street.

"Yeah, I do. I'll meet you guys back here." Ryan agreed.

"Great," I headed toward the door then on second thought I stopped and pulled my phone out of my purse. "Ryan, give me your number, so we have some way to contact you."

Ryan laughed and I shot him a look. He stopped and rattled off a series of numbers that I punched in my phone, and then snapped it shut.

Zach was standing by the door waiting for me, so I thanked Ryan and headed out.

The drive across town was uneventful and shortly we were at the hotel.

Twenty minutes later I walked out of the bathroom in jeans and a t-shirt, removing my earrings. Zach glanced at me. "I liked the other outfit better." He smirked. I slapped him on the shoulder, "Watch it buddy," I said, but smiled.

There wasn't much packing to do since the whole trip I had been living out of my suitcase. We were planning on spending the night in the other hotel, but we would be keeping our original room too, in case things at the apartment complex didn't pan out. But I took everything anyway.

"So um, just where were you planning on picking up food, Gallagher Girl?" Zach asked as we got in the car for what seemed like the millionth time that day.

Cringing, I bit my lip. I hadn't thought about that, and I was starving. "That's a great question Zach." I admitted. "Here I'll call Ryan, maybe he knows the number to some place on the way we can call and pick up food from."

I dialed Ryan and listened to it ring a few times before he picked up. "Solomon." He answered.

"Ryan? It's Cammie. We were wondering if you knew of a place where we could get something to eat."

Ryan laughed. "Hi Cammie. Don't worry about it. I'll pick up something."

"Great thanks," I said relieved. I ended the call and turned to Zach. "Ryan's going to get us something."

Zach chuckled as I started the car and headed back to the hotel. When we got to the room, we found that we had beat Ryan.

Grabbing our gear, Zach began to set up computers and heat-censored cameras, and powerful listening devices on the desk by the window. The bugs I had placed in the hotel where all working and recording just fine. I used binoculars to look at each window, making a list of which apartments seemed to be occupied.

When Zach was done, I had to admit we had a pretty sweet setup. If things were going on inside that building, we were going to find out about it.

Soon enough, Ryan entered the room, carrying a duffle, bags of food, and beers. I smiled. "You're my new best friend." I walked over and grabbed the bag filled with food smelling suspiciously like burgers. Opening it up, I inhaled the smell and began setting everything out on the coffee table.

Ryan tossed his bag to the side and we all sat down around the couches. Ryan handed each of us a drink and after a little bit of debate, we all grabbed a burger and dug in.

The food was gone almost instantly, and pretty soon the three of us were sitting around, full and relaxed. All three of us were on our second drink when Ryan spoke.

"So how long have the two of you been together?" He pointed his drink at me and then Zach. I swallowed my sip without choking before glancing over at Zach, who was in turn looking at me.

"Well, we aren't together…" I started. I tried to think of what to tell Ryan, because honestly. I didn't know what Zach and I were anymore. "It's complicated, I guess." When Zach smirked, I threw the question over to him. "Well what would you say Zachary? Are we together?"

Zach's smirk faltered for only a second, but he easily recovered. Taking another sip of his drink, he responded. "Cam and I were crazy about each other back when we were in school. But then we lost touch, and now, Cammie's trying to sort out her feelings."

I rolled my eyes. Ryan sat there looking at the two of us with some idiot grin on his face.

"What?" Zach and I asked at the exact same time.

Ryan laughed. "Oh nothing."

I was feeling bold, so I decided to ask Ryan the question I had been wondering ever since I read the emails between both of them. "Ryan, just how much do you care about Bex?" I raised an eyebrow.

Ryan's face became serious and looked down at his hands. Finally, he opened his mouth to speak. "Bex is probably the most amazing girl I've ever met. Even though we didn't have a lot of time to get to know each other, there was this…this connection." Ryan paused. "And then she went missing, and I never even got to tell her how I feel. Now, it's like I can't go a second without seeing her face, or hearing her laugh in my mind. I drive myself crazy, wondering where she is, and if she's okay. To be honest, it's killing me, I'm here, safe, and she's captured. And all this time I haven't been able to do a bloody damn thing about it." Emotion finally seemed to overcome Ryan and he rose to his feet and made slowly walked over to the window.

Zach and I sat in the silence. Tears had formed at my eyes, and it took everything to not allow them to cascade down my cheeks. I wanted to tell Ryan that I knew Bex loved him to, and that the way he felt towards her was amazing. But I didn't dare speak; I couldn't trust my voice enough, for my throat held a lump of emotion

Ryan turned away from the window and looked at Zach and I. There was the look of a desperate man in his eyes, but also the look of one who was strong enough to brave the pain.

"That's why; my advice to you guys is don't allow petty complications in life take away the moments that are given to you with the ones you care about. If I could go back, it would have been easier to lay my feelings to Bex and risk getting hurt then to deal with this agony."

At his words, Zach and I met eyes. I knew what Ryan was trying to tell us. Maybe the fate of our mission was more than to save Bex, maybe it was destiny that Zach and I were here together. Hours seemed to pass as Zach and I looked at each other, and if Ryan continued to speak, then I certainly didn't hear it.

Finally, I tore my gaze at Zach and stood up to cross the room to Ryan. I outstretched my arms in a hug, and when we embraced I whispered in his ear, just two words. "Thank you." When we stepped apart, Ryan had a small smile on his lips, like maybe a light weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, the video feed on the computer screen caught my eye. It was the feed being emitted by the bug in the hallway. A man was walking down the hallway, and when he reached a room, he inserted a key that granted him access. He had been angled away from the camera, but for a moment when he opened his door, I caught a glimpse of his face.

I smothered a gasp and ran over to replay the feed. When Ryan and Zach walked up behind me to see what I was doing, I told them.

"Jason Snider just entered his room."

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><p><strong>Sorry, not as long as usual. Hopefully "usual" will begin to have more meaning. As always you guys are beyond awesome and I'm honored to have such fantastic readers.<strong>

**Review? Pretty please? :D**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23 everybody! A big thanks to all those who reviewed the last chapter! This chapter is the longest one yet I think, and this story is now over 40,000 words! Haha I'll admit this one was very easy to write, I hope you guys enjoy ;). I hope everyone's having a great summer!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Gallagher Girls series. **

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><p>Chapter Twenty-Three<p>

I replayed the video feed for the boys to watch. Zach grabbed the file we had on Jason Snider and held his picture up to the screen as I paused it on the split second Jason had turned to face the camera. Sure enough, the man in the two images was the same.

"It's him." Ryan said.

And all of a sudden, the sad feeling that had been lingering in the room since Ryan had declared his love for Bex vanished. All of us were filled with a new sense of purpose. We had a lead, and there was hope. No longer were we spies with nothing to do, we were spies who were intensely close to completing our mission objective, and more importantly, rescuing someone that we all care about.

"Should we contact Interpol? He's wanted as an international terrorist, so they could go in and arrest him on the spot." Ryan made the first suggestion.

"No," I shook my head. We have to capture Snider some other way. He's the one who can lead us directly to Bex."

"Yeah," Zach agreed. "Plus Interpol is guaranteed to screw things up."

Ryan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Well then, what do we do? We need to get him, but we have to do it quietly. So that rules out storming into his room and out-manning him. Plus, how do we get him out of the building? The whole place is crawling with employees and possible COC agents, and it's not like Snider's going to politely allow himself to be taken hostage?"

Zach and I didn't reply right away. I switched the video back to live feed so we could see if he left the room at all. All of us took a couple of minutes to think about what to do next.

Zach was the first to speak. "What if we made _everyone_ leave the building? Like causing a mass evacuation? We'd be on the street, waiting for Snider, and then in all the chaos we can grab him without anybody noticing?"

"That could work…" I said, then I looked at Ryan to hear what he thought.

A slow smile was spreading across Ryan's face. "Do you guys have any idea how we would cause an evacuation?"

Clearly he had an idea, so Zach and I just shrugged and waited for him to continue. "We have to make it so that the COC agents genuinely believe there's danger and comply with the evacuation. But, we can't make it too serious, or we could end up having people get hurt. Right?"

"Yeah," Zach said, "So what do you have in mind Ryan?" Zach was trying to get him to get to the point.

"Let's just say I know how to create a slight…explosion in the basement. I know a way that will be loud and can be felt, but other than that it shouldn't do too much damage." Ryan said.

I finally smiled too. "Perfect. Do you know a way to make the explosion look like an accident?"

Ryan nodded, "Of course."

"Can we detonate the explosion from a distance? All three of us are going to have to be on the street ready to search for Snider when the evacuation begins." Zach questioned.

"Yeah, I think I can. I'll have to go out to get supplies tomorrow morning. I'm assuming you want to do this as early as possible." Ryan began to pace along the window. "Tonight we can take shifts watching the feed, that way if Snider leaves his room, we can do something about it."

"Good idea," Zach said.

"I'll take first shift." I volunteered. There was no way I would be able to sleep with the recent excitement. My mind was going into overdrive and I wanted to sort out everything.

"I'll take the couch." Zach said. That left Ryan in the single bedroom.

Thirty minutes later I was changed into cotton shorts and an old T-shirt. Zach had changed into sweats and a white wife-beater. He was rummaging around in a closet, trying to find a blanket and an extra pillow. Ryan had already said goodnight and was in the bedroom. Clearly, he was both emotionally and physically exhausted, as we all were, but him especially.

I sat in the desk chair; computers were lined up in front of me showing me all of our bug feeds. Zach had a copy of the building's blueprints pinned up on the wall. We also had aimed heat sensors through the window and they picked up on movement throughout various floors. Wires ran anywhere and everywhere, overall the place looked like an electrical fire waiting to happen, but as long as everything worked, we didn't care.

Zach finally found what he was looking for and made his way to the couch. I spun my chair so I was facing him. He didn't notice me watching him; well he probably did, but he didn't acknowledge it for a while.

He sat down on the couch and ran his hands through his dark hair, and then he finally looked up at me. When he noticed the thoughtful expression on my face he commented. "What are you thinking about?"

I held his gaze as I answered. "Everything. Bex, Jason Snider, tomorrow."

Zach cracked a small smile. "Is that it?"

"No," I shook my head. "I'm thinking about what Ryan said earlier."

Zach didn't even bat an eye. "Me too," he said. I got up and walked over and sat so that I was sitting on the couch with him, but there was space between us. For the moment, I was willing to forget about the computers.

"So what are we going to do about it…about us?" I asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

"This," Zach whispered. And then he moved so the space between us was gone. He gently cupped my face with one hand and braced the other on the back of neck as he moved in to kiss me. There was slight hesitation in his movement, but I eagerly moved forward to meet his lips.

My hands rested on his shoulders. The kiss was slow and meaningful. After getting lost in each other for a few seconds we both pulled back at the same time, and Zach rested his forehead on my own. "Cammie, I never want to lose you. Ever." Zach breathed. He then placed a light kiss on my lips.

"Zach, I'm scared." I told him.

"Me too, but I love you Cammie." My eyes widened. Zach traced my jawline with his fingers. I looked at his beautiful green eyes, and knew exactly what to say.

"I love you too, Zach. I..I don't know what I'd do without you." This time when our lips met, the kiss lasted. Zach pulled me so I was sitting in his lap and his arms wrapped around me. I let one hand run through his soft brown hair. Zach lips trailed along my jawline down to my neck and my collarbone. It felt amazing, and I fought a moan.

"Zach," I breathed his name into his ear. I reached to pull his chin back up so I could put my mouth on his own.

"You're perfect Cammie, you know that?" Zach whispered as we pulled apart for an instant. I allowed my hands to roam all over his muscular chest and Zach let a low sound that sounded like a growl escape. We continued to kiss with a hunger and burning passion for several minutes.

When I pulled back, we were both breathing pretty heavily. Zach looked disappointed and I bit my lip, trying to keep from smiling.

He pulled me close and I rested my head on his chest and listened to the beating of his heart. The moment was so perfect and so intimate that I never wanted it to end. We sat there in perfect silence for a few minutes that were entirely too short.

"You need to sleep." I tilted my head so I could look at him. "And I'm supposed to be keeping watch." Zach didn't say anything; he just looked at me and let his fingers absently played with the ends of my hair. I reached up to give him one last kiss on the cheek.

Reluctantly, I moved off of Zach's lap and his arms released me. I walked over and sat in my chair. I pulled a pair of headphones onto my neck and glanced over my shoulder at Zach. He lay down on the couch and smirked. "Goodnight, Gallagher Girl."

For once, I didn't roll my eyes, but smiled. "Goodnight." I said before turning back to the computer.

My three hour stint seemed to last forever. Not once was there any action in the hallway. The bug in the lobby showed a few couples come in, all of the slightly tipsy, but they seemed harmless and headed straight for the elevators. I listened to the audio frequency, and all of the conversations from that day had nothing to do with Bex. I paid attention to see if I could catch possible code words, but as the hours wore on I found I more and more difficult to focus.

Instead, my mind began to wander. Zach cared about me, he had made that clear. But would we be able to last, unlike last time? I hoped so. I felt more for Zach than I had ever felt for anyone else, including Michael.

I was just about to doze off when I felt a hand touch my shoulder. I turned and saw Ryan standing over me. Quietly, to not wake Zach, he whispered. "Did you find anything?"

I shook my head, "No, nothing." I whispered back.

A slight look of disappointment crossed Ryan's face. But he tried to cover it with a small smile. "Okay."

I stood up and we switched places. I uttered a quick "Thanks Ryan," and then headed to the bedroom. I was exhausted by now and fell asleep almost instantly.

I didn't dream at all that night. I didn't even move until the morning. I felt large arms wrap around me and a deep voice speak. "Wake up Gallagher Girl." I groaned and then realizing what was going on I opened my eyes.

The first thing I saw was Zach's face. For a moment I was caught completely off guard. Then I remembered last night, and felt a smile automatically come over my face.

"Good morning." Zach said and then he leaned in for a kiss. After our lips brushed together, I thought about Ryan.

"Zach, where's Ryan?" I asked.

Zach laughed, "He went to go get supplies for his little explosion." He brushed a stray hair out of my face. I sighed and closed my eyes for a moment longer.

"What time is it?" I opened my eyes.

"A little after five." Zach whispered, before he kissed me again.

I groaned, it was way too early for me to be functioning. "Alright," I said as I sat up and maneuvered out of Zach's arms, as much as it pained me.

I walked out of the bedroom and over to our little setup. I glanced at all the screens and I felt Zach walk up behind me. "Is Snider still in his room?" I asked as Zach wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Yep," Zach began to nuzzle my neck. He planted little kisses everywhere. When he playfully nibbled my ear, I gasped and turned around to face him.

"Zach we need to focus." I said. Zach didn't respond, but leaned into kiss me. Before he could, a knock on the door caused me to jump and Zach pulled back and walked over to open it.

Ryan entered, and must have noticed the slight blush on my face, because as he threw several paper bags on the counter he winked, "Sleep well Cammie?"

The thought that Ryan must have heard Zach and I last night crossed my mind. But I played it cool and answered with a simple "Yeah."

An hour later, the sun had begun to rise over Dublin. I had eaten something and was dressed. We all sipped coffee as the three of us sat around the coffee table. Ryan explained exactly what was going to happen.

"I'll disguise myself as a service guy and feed the manager a line about having to check the air conditioning system to check for a recalled part. The air conditioning system is obviously in the basement, so as soon as the manager grants me access, we're golden. I'll leave the bag with the explosive in the basement, in an air conditioning vent. I can remotely set it off using a cell phone. That way when it goes off, the smoke will be sent through air vents and will make people think the situation is way worse than what it is. Hence, the mandatory evacuation of the building, and we'll be outside waiting." Ryan explained.

I nodded, the plan sounded pretty smart. "Okay, but if anything goes wrong Ryan, we don't have to go through with this, we can't mess this one up. Don't let your feelings for saving Bex mess with your judgment, okay?"

Ryan gave me a look that said he was offended that I would doubt him.

"Okay then, let's go get Snider." Zach said. He stood up and offered a hand to pull me up too.

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><p><strong>Well? What'd you think? I'd love to hear thoughts and suggestions!<strong>

**We made it to 190 reviews...just 10 away from 200! *hint hint***

**I only estimate about 7 more chapters for this story, and my goal is to have it basically finished by the end of June. The weekend is really busy for me though, so look for an update next week!**

**Thanks for being awesome readers!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Ahhhh! I immensely apologize for my horrendous updating schedule! Unfortunately, summer has been complete chaos and I just haven't gotten any time to write, but I won't bore you with excuses. Thank you to all of the amazing readers who have added this story to their favorites or alerts, and major thanks to all the people who broke 200 with their reviews! You guys are amazing, and instill my desire to write!**

**Here's chapter 24 - rather action-y and it gets into some deep stuff toward the end. Sorry if Cam's a little OOC, I had a hard time writing this chappy.**

**Disclaimer: All rights to Ally Carter**

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><p>Chapter Twenty-Four<p>

"Explosive is in position." I heard Ryan say an hour later.

"Ten-four. Meet you at the car." Zach responded. The two of us were wandering the streets hand-in-hand as Ryan was busy placing the device that would cause a mass evacuation from the building where our Circle of Cavan recruiter/terrorist, Jason Snider, was hiding out.

Zach and I had stayed in our room up until ten minutes ago, watching surveillance feeds to make sure Mr. Snider did not leave before we wanted him too.

But now, the two of us were busy blending in with the rest of the wealthy foot-traffic that was walking the streets of Dublin. We had walked a loop and were approaching the hotel. As soon as Ryan came out, we would briefly meet and then split up to cover all of the exits.

This was our chance to catch the criminal that had kidnapped my best friend. Was I nervous? Not at all. Mentally, I reviewed our plans. By covering all of the exits, there was no way that Snider would be able to leave the building without one of us seeing him.

I felt Zach remove his hand from mine and wrap his arm around my shoulders instead. I was happy to say that things had really changed between Zach and me last night. Sure I was aware of the fact that operatives got together on missions all of the time, because for us that really is the closest thing to dating we get. But Zach and I were both not the type of people to start a relationship if we didn't want it to really genuinely work.

I turned my head up to smile at Zach, he pulled me a little bit closer and smirked. We were nearing the hotel and I saw the sophisticated spinning door spit out Ryan. He carried himself in a way that only Joe Solomon's son could. He glanced to his right and left, obviously looking for us.

He quickly spotted us, but headed straight for our car across the street. Ryan was still dressed in a maintenance uniform that he had used as part of his cover to get into the hotel's basement. He did look a little out of place among the classy businessmen and wealthy women that were bustling to and from the building.

Zach and I didn't increase our pace at all. Instead we continued to look like a casual couple out for a stroll and made our way over to the car where we had agreed to meet with Ryan.

As we reached the black SUV we heard the black hatch slam. Ryan appeared around the side, this time dressed in his usual clothes, without the maintenance uniform. He briefly ran a hand through his hair.

"Okay," I stepped away from Zach so that I could look at the two of them. "Zach, you're going to cover the main entrance doors, right?"

Zach nodded and I turned to Ryan. "You will stay around back and make sure he doesn't go through the courtyard and the back exit. And I, I'll be monitoring the emergency exit that leads to the side alley. Those are the only 3 ways he can get out of the building."

Ryan took a deep breath. He then reminded us of how the explosive would work. "The device will detonate when I dial the number of the cell phone attached to it." He held up his phone. "I won't dial until all of you are in place. The device should explode instantly, causing a small boom and lots and lots of smoke. Since the device is in the air conditioning system, the smoke will spread throughout the building's air ducts. As soon as it is noticed an alarm will sound throughout the building. At this point everyone will be required to evacuate."

"And that," Zach said, "is when we'll get Snider."

I nodded, "Exactly." The three of us looked at each other. "You ready?" I asked.

Nobody answered my question; the boys just started walking toward the apartment complex. I stood there for a moment, the gravity and desperation of what we were about to do weighed on me. I shook my head to clear my mind and took another breath before following the boys.

Less than five minutes later, I was in the currently vacant alley. "Chameleon is in position." I said. Almost as soon as I spoke, I heard verbal conformation that Zach and Ryan were also ready.

"Detonating in three, two, one." Ryan said, and just a second later I felt a small shudder come from beneath the building in front of me.

A few moments of silence followed and I subconsciously held my breath that our plan would work. We didn't have room for error.

To my relief, a loud, blaring siren began to echo from the building. Within moments people began to follow evacuation procedures and make their way to the nearest exit. Most people were headed out the main lobby door, but my money was on the fact Snider would want to be discreet and take one of the other two exits.

As a few confused people exited the door in front of me, I mentally pictured Jason Snider's face and compared it to the people in front of me. None of them matched his description. None of them seemed to pay any attention to me thankfully, and I moved on to the next people coming out of the door.

Trying to make it seem like I was also making my way from the building too, I scanned faces. As the group coming from the building grew larger, I was momentarily filled with panic. What if I let him slip by?

Then my instincts took hold, and I focused. Women were automatically ruled out. And general height and weight ruled several of the men out.

Zach and Ryan were silent on their ends, so neither of them had spotted him. I kept scanning. Any man that could bear resemblance to Snider was closely analyzed by my trained eyes. Caught up in the moment, my heart pounded with adrenaline and determination.

"Anything?" I heard Zach ask.

"No," I responded quietly.

I heard Ryan swear before following with another no.

My heart leapt to my throat as a spotted a man that looked like Snider. He had a hat pulled low over his face and was wearing a thick leather jacket that hid his physique. Almost positive it was him, I headed towards him.

"Ryan, Zach, I may have eyes on the target." I whispered.

I purposely bumped into him, causing him to look up. When his face met my eyes, I was instantly disappointed. Mumbling a quick apology I stepped around him.

"False alarm." I said. Exasperation filled me, the last of the crowd was coming through the door, there couldn't be too many people left.

And that's when I saw him. A majority of the crowd made a right turn heading out of the door to go to the main avenue that was in front of the building. But one man turned to the left and headed farther back into the alley.

He was dressed so that he didn't stick out in the crowd. Wearing jeans and a button-down t-shirt with a baseball cap to hide his hair and eyes, he looked like any thirty-year old man. If it wasn't for the fact that he purposely didn't follow the crowd, he wouldn't have caused any suspicion. But I knew better, international terrorists often looked like your next door neighbor.

I broke away from the crowd and began to walk purposely toward him. As he glanced back over his shoulder, he saw me, but no look of alarm crossed his face. He continued to walk at the same pace.

"Guys, I found him. He's heading down the alley to Chestnut Street."

Another glance over his shoulder confirmed to him that I was following him. "Here we go," I said to nobody in particular. Sure enough as the words left my mouth, Snider began to run.

Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I began to sprint after him.

"Zach, Ryan, I need backup like now." I barked as the sight of the end of the alley loomed near.

The two of us were at a dead sprint. He was determined to get away, and I was determined to stop him. Unfortunately, he was pretty fast, so I wasn't gaining ground fast enough.

We were getting closer to the street, where it would be easier for him to lose me.

"Stop!" I cried in between breaths. But Jason Snider didn't even hesitate; the sight of cars on the street ahead of him seemed to reel him in. At this point, I was unarmed and the only way I was going to get him was to catch up.

Ryan reached the opening of the alley and anger filled me. Where was Zach? Or at least Ryan?

But my frustration was soon wiped away. As Snider turned to head down a sidewalk, I saw a fist slam into his face. He staggered backwards and that's when I saw a black SUV come to a screeching halt. At the same time the owner of the fist, which turned out to be Ryan, grabbed Snider in a hold and threw open the door to the SUV stopped next to him.

Realizing exactly what was happening, I ran toward the car. Ryan had maneuvered Snider into the backseat and jumped in, slamming the door behind him. Zach, in the driver's seat turned and saw me and reached to open the passenger door.

I climbed in and quickly closed the door. Zach, wanting to get away from all possible nearby witnesses as soon as possible, instantly pulled back out into traffic and made his way down the street.

My breathing finally regulated and I turned with a huge grin to Zach. He glanced over at me for a millisecond before turning back to the road. I shifted around to look at the situation in the back seat. Ryan had slapped duct tape over Snider's mouth and blood ran down the side his face. A Napotine patch was slapped on Snider's arm, and he was out.

A look of pride covered Ryan's face as he rubbed the hand that had hit Snider.

"You guys make pretty good backup." I said.

"I know." Zach and Ryan said at the same time, but with different accents.

I rolled my eyes. Zach smirked at me.

"So where are we going?" I asked curiously. We couldn't go back to any of the previous places we had stayed, they were all too obvious.

"We're heading to a MI6 safe house." Zach answered. "There we'll be able to…get as much information out of him as possible. Then we'll turn him over to Interpol." He glanced in the rearview mirror at an unconscious and beaten Jason Snider.

Excitement filled me. We had Jason Snider, who was one of the few people who knew where Bex was. We were finally making some progress, and were one step closer to finding my best friend. Now the only thing we had to do was make Snider talk.

After a good half hour of driving, Zach pulled up to the safe house. I made a face and looked at him. "_This _is the safe house?" I questioned.

"Yep," Ryan answered for Zach. "Isn't she a beauty?"

'Beauty' was probably the last word that came to mind when I saw where we'd be staying. We were in a rough part of Dublin, to say the least. The safe house was a dingy, single floor house. It's exterior had peeling paint and the stairs leading to the front door looked as if they were about to fall apart. I groaned.

The three of us managed to get Jason Snider into the house fairly quickly. The place was minimally furnished, so we dragged two chairs and the kitchen table into an empty room. This would be where we would interrogate him. Interrogate, was what we wanted to do. But all spies know that sometimes information is so important that other…ways have to be used.

Torture. I have always shuddered at the word. Summer after my junior year I was tortured, and I never regained my memory of it. But the topic always does strike a nerve, and I've had mixed feelings about it. Groups like the Circle wouldn't hesitate to torture someone. And as spies we often have to stoop to our enemies level, whether we like it or not. And as much as I didn't want to admit it, I was at the point where I would do anything to save Bex.

Fortunately I wasn't the one who would be talking with Snider.

About two hours after we arrived to the grungy safe house, Snider began to stir. Ryan and Zach were in the room with him, as I watched through a video feed Ryan had set up.

Ryan removed the duct tape from Snider's mouth and stood in the corner crossing his arms. Snider blearily glanced around, slowly realizing the situation. He looked at Zach who sat across from him.

Zach stared him down and didn't say anything. Snider spoke first. "Okay, who are you and why am I here?"

Zach didn't answer either question, but asked one of his own. "Where's Rebecca Baxter?"

Jason Snider blinked, an obvious sign he was surprised, then a look of genuine confusion crossed his face. "You have the wrong guy. I have no idea who you're talking about."

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><p><strong>Hmmm...thoughts anyone? Review please! <strong>

**I swear it won't take a month to update. Pinky swear. **

**Thanks again!**

**PS. This story has always been un-beta'd so I apologize for previous grammatical mistakes, I try to catch them, but I've found quite a few in previous chapters. **


	25. Chapter 25

**Hey! I hope all you fanfiction darlings are having a lovely summer, again I apologize for the slow updates, but I guess that's just the way it is. **

**Here we are on Chapter 25, which so far is my personal least favorite of all of the previous I've written. I really hope you like it more than I do. *fingers crossed***

**Just a fair warning, this chapter does talk about torture, which I know is a sensitive subject. I kept changing my mind on how I was going to do this chapter, and don't worry it isn't graphic, but there is some description. (PS. I got most of the torture methods from an episode of Missing, all rights go to them)**

**And the usual disclaimer: All of the GG characters and plot line belong to Ms. Ally Carter.**

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><p>Chapter Twenty-Five<p>

I suddenly had the urge to smash my fist through the computer screen. Or better yet, kick down the door to our makeshift interrogation room and personally strangle Jason Snider. He was guilty as hell and I couldn't believe he had the nerve to lie to us.

Zach, however, was much more composed than I was, and didn't even miss a beat. I finally understood why Ryan had insisted that he would be the one to interview Snider. After Snider's claim that we had the wrong guy, Zach just clasped his hands together on the table and leaned even closer towards Snider.

"If you think that I believed a word in your last sentence, you're in for an unfortunate surprise." Zach growled. "Now let's try again. Where's Rebecca Baxter?"

But as great an interrogator as Zach was, Jason Snider wasn't intimidated yet. "If you think that I'm going to give you any information, you're in for an unfortunate surprise." Snider countered with a smirk. And there's nothing Zach hates more than someone stealing his smirk. He put his game face on.

Zach opened the folder in front of him and began pulling out sheets of paper and placing them in front of Snider. "Do you know what these are Jason?" He questioned, but didn't wait for an answer. "These are formal Interpol, FBI, and MI5 charges. Looks like you are wanted in over 10 countries. I know that some of these countries aren't exactly places where you want to serve out a prison sentence. So you're looking at two options. One, you can cooperate with me and maybe I'll be generous when I choose where to send you. And two, you can decide not to cooperate and I promise you you'll regret it." Zach's emerald eyes stared Snider down.

Snider sat silent for a moment, considering his options. "I knew your mother, Zachary. I wonder how she would feel about the path you've chosen, betraying the people who practically raised you. Trying to be some big hero, as if that will make you any better of an operative than those of us on the other side." Snider sneered. I felt my eyes widen at his bravery, and held my breath to see how Zach would react. Snider was baiting him.

But Zach fortunately, didn't stoop to take the bait. He kept his cool and slid all of the papers back into the file, and then stood up to leave the room. With his hand on the doorknob he turned back to Snider. "I'm still alive, unlike my mother, and I'm also not the _operative_ who got themselves caught. Now if you excuse me, I'm going to see if North Korea has an available spot in Kwan-li-so No.22."

Now it was Snider's turn to feel uncomfortable. The thought of getting sent to Kwan-li-so was a million times worse than any sort of torture. Snider was familiar with the brutality of the infamous prison. Ryan and Zach were out of the room and the door was almost shut when Snider yelled, "Send me away, and I promise you will never see Rebecca Baxter again!"

By now, Zach had had enough. He spun around and marched back through the door, slamming it shut behind him.

He jerked Snider's chair away from the table and grabbed him in a firm chokehold. I could practically see the anger and annoyance pulsing through Zach, and I had experienced first-hand the determination of Zachary Goode when he was angry.

"I'm not afraid to kill you Snider," Zach hissed. "And I know that you know what Blackthorne is capable of teaching their students of, since you recruit there. Now, I want details on Bex Baxter." Zach tightened his chokehold, and Snider's eyes widened a bit.

"You'll have to kill me first." Snider replied.

Zach released Jason Snider back into his chair, and Snider immediately raised a hand to rub his neck, where a bruise was already forming. He looked at Zach, who just walked through the door and said, "You asked for it."

I cringed. This was not going well at all, not only was Snider being un-cooperative, Zach had had to change his tactic, which made him look weak. Now we were going to have to resort to physical coercion.

I looked up from the computer to see Zach and Ryan enter the room. Zach's green eyes were on fire with anger, and Ryan looked uncomfortable.

"Get the bag Cammie." Zach demanded.

I looked at him before I even considered moving. "Are you sure about that?" I questioned. I looked at Ryan.

Ryan shrugged, "This is your guys' op, and it's up to you how far you're willing to go. I don't want to influence the decision."

"Come on Cammie, get the bag." Zach said again.

"You know what this means?"

"Yes I bloody know what this means!" Zach yelled. He pointed at the live feed of Jason Snider still on my computer. "Guys like him don't deserve sympathy, Cammie. What he's done in his lifetime is unforgivable by any standards! He's made young men into assassins for the wrong side Cammie, and he knows where your best friend is. It's our only option."

I quietly got up; I knew Zach was right, as much as I didn't like it. A few minutes I returned carrying the black bag that contained two car batteries, wires, a hosepipe, buckets for water, an empty feed sack, pliers, and some miscellaneous other tools. I handed it to Zach and sat down. Ryan stayed behind as Zach went back into the interrogation room and sat down with me.

We saw Zach walk through the door. Snider eyed the black bag, as if he knew the danger it contained.

"You asked for death, Snider. But I'm not willing to give you that satisfaction. I'm going to push you to the brink, but keep you alive, just so the pain hurts so much that you'll tell me what I want to know." Zach began spreading the contents of the black bag on the table.

Memories of my junior year came flooding back as I saw the tools. The scars on my arms had given away the fact that I had been tortured that summer. And even though I didn't remember it, the residual mental pain from the torture had haunted me for years.

I stood up, the chair scraping against the floor. Ryan, who was startled, looked up at me. "Are you okay?" He asked.

I shook my head. "I can't watch this, Ryan. I need to go." I said, as the full reality of what Zach was going to do hit me. How could I allow him to lower himself to the standards of brutal criminals? I suddenly felt a crushing pressure, as if the room was closing in on me, as the image of Zach in the interrogation room burned in my skull. He was going to torture Snider.

It became too much. I hit the door at almost a full run, and was out of the house before Ryan knew what was happening. The brisk temperature hit my face as I stood on the sidewalk, looking down the dingy corridor of houses that ran along the street.

I turned right and began running. My feet hit the pavement and I tried to erase the thoughts crossing my mind. Zach would start by breaking knuckles, each crack a painful blow. Then he would begin pulling teeth, one by one. I knew the procedure, I wasn't ignorant. Snider would just barely stay alive through the electrocution that would follow. At some point, tears began streaming down my face.

What I was doing was beyond stupid, and probably broke every rule in the book. As shady looking cars drove past me, I knew any of them could be filled with people who were looking for me. But sometimes, the pressure of always doing everything to perfection gets to a spy. And sometimes the image of a girl's boyfriend about to torture someone gets to her. And maybe frustration at my life got to me. So I kept running. Placing one foot in front of the other. Not planning on where I was going, just running.

At some point, I reached a more decent neighborhood where I found a park. In the cool of the almost-evening, it was barren. Smart parents didn't allow their children to stay out and catch colds. I found a lone swing and allowed sobs to rack my body. Tears blurred my vision, and my nose ran.

I thought about the instant, when underneath a mountain, I found out Zach was an assassin. I thought about the moment, when people told me that two of the most important men in my life had ties to a terrorist organization. I thought about the day, when I found my father's grave. I thought about the sound, of Zach's gun shooting his mother. I thought about all the times I had pushed my conscious aside to make an operation successful. I remembered the last time I had seen Bex; we had met at our favorite restaurant in Alexandria. Images flashed through my brain, refusing to stop, until I let out a single cry.

The evening was beginning to set in. I knew I needed to go back, Zach and Ryan were for sure wondering where I was, for who knows how long I had been out. But something inside me didn't want to go back. Maybe if I stayed in the small park, life's problems would disappear and I could be like one of the children who climbed along the monkey bars. Careless.

But I knew that wasn't realistic. So I sat, having a mental battle with myself. Lost in my own head, I jumped when I heard the voice behind me.

"Cammie?"

Quickly wiping my eyes, I turned around. There Zach stood in his leather jacket. His hands were shoved in his pockets and a look of sadness seemed to mask his face. He sat in the swing next to me and turned his head to look at me.

"Ryan told me about earlier."

I wasn't surprised. I ran a hand through my tangled hair. I wasn't quite sure of what to say so I asked the question that I wanted to know the answer to.

"Did you go through with it?" I avoided eye contact, ashamed on some level. I was supposed to be used to this. I wasn't supposed to take off crying every time a boundary was crossed.

Zach sighed and the swing creaked as he shifted his weight. "Yes."

I couldn't stop the small noise that escaped my lips. "How bad was it?" I cringed, almost not wanting to know.

I snuck a peek at Zach, he shook his head slightly. "He's fine. Two fingers and he cracked. He's all bandaged and has medication."

I pressed my lips together. On one hand, relief filled me for the fact that Snider hadn't endured much pain. On the other, I was still partially responsible for the pain he had had to endure.

"Cammie-" Zach tried to begin.

"Is this really the way it's supposed to be?" I whispered. "We're allowed to commit evils because we're doing it for the right reasons?" I shook my head and finally made eye contact with Zach. "He feels pain just like I do Zach. Just like I do."

Zach left his swing and squatted in front of me. Taking both of my limp hands in his own warm ones, he spoke. "Cam. I never wanted you to see me like that." His voice was filled with remorse. "I don't want to become the monster that I'm supposed to become. But I didn't know what to do, my training kicked in, and…I'm sorry." His green eyes were fixed with my own tear-filled ones.

"We're all monsters." I breathed. "I know what it's like and yet I allow it to happen."

Zach squeezed my hands. "Don't be like that. You were innocent when they tore your life apart. The man back at the house is not innocent. And we do what we have to. I just never want you to have to go back to that place of pain again." He cupped my cheek with his hand. "I know how hard this is Cammie. I've been there. Please come back to the house with me."

I wiped at my eyes and laughed. "You know sometimes I honestly wish I could hide from all of this?"

Zach let a small smile appear and scoffed. "If only we could."

"I guess we do what we have to and learn from it. I guess that's the only way we'll ever survive." I said.

Zach sighed and looked off at the disappearing sun. Then he turned back to me, his face orange in the glow of the dusk. He stood up and pulled me so I was standing with him.

"I'm always going to be here for you Cammie. And I wish that we didn't have to do what we do, but I'm going to be right by your side to make it better." He pulled me closer.

I stared up at him, wondering how we were going to make it; through everything. People like us were supposed to do this on our own.

Zach seemed to know exactly what I was thinking, he brought our entwined fingers up and I looked at them. His strong, callused hand with my smaller, but just as lethal one. I hoped that I would always remember that image, of our hands together.

And then I kissed him. There was nothing else in the world, as he kissed back with a slow desperation. We were both broken inside, and were doing everything in our power to heal each other. I was lost, but I knew I wanted Zach. I wanted him for all of his flaws, for all of his sins, for all of him.

Time slowed down for a while, with Zach's arms wrapped around me and our bodies so close we could feel the other's heartbeat. This was our escape; each other. And I wanted that escape to always be there, even if it was only for a little while.

When we both came back to reality, I took a small step back from Zach. His arms still held me. "Thank you," I breathed.

Zach smiled, "Anytime." He gently pressed his lips to my forehead.

"Zach," I said after a minute.

"Yeah," he responded.

"Let's go back, I'm cold." I said with a small shiver to make my point. Zach laughed and we began walking, Zach never taking his arm from around my shoulders.

When we got back to the safe house, I took a deep breath before walking through the door. Although I was done running away from this mission, it was still going to be difficult to allow myself to emotionally detach from everything. The small house was dead quite, and I felt like an intruder as my footsteps made sounds on the antique wooden floorboards. We found Ryan in the kitchen, where he sat eating soup.

As we entered the room, Ryan looked up. A look of relief crossed his face when I walked in after Zach.

"You found her." Ryan said, mostly to Zach.

Zach smirked and began to rummage through cabinets, looking for something to eat. "Of course I did."

A moment of awkwardness ensued. I felt like a young child, who was in a room of adults who were too scared to talk to me, fearing that I might not be able to handle it. Desperately wanting to the break the silence, I cleared my throat. "I'm sorry," I apologized. "This, um, situation brought up some unresolved issues, and I lost it."

Ryan nodded. "No hard feelings, this has been taxing on all of us, especially you." We exchanged small smiles.

Zach was continuing to look for something to eat, so Ryan turned in his chair, "There's canned soup in the bottom right cabinet." Zach found it and sent a grateful look in Ryan's direction. He grabbed some cans and walked over to me.

"We have expired clam chowder, chicken noodle a la broth, beef stew, or tomato on the menu tonight." Zach joked.

I laughed and shrugged, "Anything but the clam chowder." Zach went to work finding a pot and heating the food and I sat down with Ryan. A few minutes later, we all had warm, but slightly disgusting bowls of soup in front of us. The only sound in the room was spoons clanking against bowls.

"You said Snider cracked," I said, finally working up the nerve, "so what did he tell you?"

Ryan and Zach exchanged a look, and I waited for someone to answer my question.

"We know who has Bex," Zach finally said. "She's being held in the basement of one of the local COC agent's mansion outside of Dublin. We also know that in five days, if she doesn't talk, they'll kill her."

"Sooo," I said slowly, taking it all in, "We have five days to rescue Bex or she dies?"

This time Ryan answered my question, "Exactly."

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><p><strong>Okay, so there it is. I promise things are going to pick up, to me it seems like I've been dragging this out forever, does it seem that way to you? I hope that I manged to make the whole torture situation reasonable, I kept changing my mind on how to write this, it was really hard. And yes Zach did go through with it, but he has a soul, and that's what I was trying to show in the second half of the story.<strong>

**Reviews, as always, are greatly appreciated, so leave me some! I'd love to hear thoughts, suggestions, constructive criticism, ect!**

**School's close to starting*groan*, but I'm going to try to get one if not two chapters up before then. **

**Thanks!**

**~GenuineQT~**


	26. Chapter 26

**Hi everybody**,

**I hope all of you are enjoying your Thanksgiving, and as you enter this holiday season you all have many things to be thankful for. I'm thankful to all of you who are reading this right now. I know its been a crazy-long time since I last updated, and I feel horribly guilty. I could give you excuses, but I'm not going to.**

** It was this time last year when I discovered Fanfiction, and I got the obsessing desire to write my own story. I can't believe its almost taken a year, put I'm going to keep working at it until I finish it, I swear! Thanks for being amazing readers and I hope this chapter makes your day even the slightest bit better.**

**Happy Turkey Day! Enjoy Chapter 26...**

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><p>Chapter Twenty-Six<p>

None of us got much sleep that night. After we finished our rather unsatisfying soup, we went straight to work. We left Snider in the interrogation room; he was sound asleep, he probably would be for a while.

While I had been out, Zach had apparently gotten a lot of information out of Snider. By this point, I was completely focused and didn't bat an eye as Zach and Ryan described what Snider had told them.

Zach did a majority of the talking, "Snider told us that apparently after you and I infiltrated their mansion outside the city they moved Bex to another COC agent's house in Dublin. It's in an upscale part of town, and the guy is apparently a pretty prominent figure in Dublin, so he was reluctant to let them put Bex there. So, he made them promise that she would only be kept there 5 days maximum. Snider thinks that after that she'll either be taken out of the country, or killed. Either way, in five days, it will be impossible to locate her, at least alive." He grimaced.

"So," Ryan said, "This means this is our last chance to rescue her, which means we can't mess this up."

I leaned back in my chair, "Right, so that means our plan needs to be airtight."

"Problem is," Zach spoke, "this time we're trying to break into a guy's house, not an apartment building. Plus it's unlikely this guy has accessible cameras on the inside of his house."

"There is one thing…" Ryan began. He exchanged a look with Zach.

"Yes Ryan?" I demanded, impatient with being the only one not aware of what was going on, even though I could only really blame myself for that.

"Snider did say that there was a clandestine annual meeting taking place at the house for higher up COC operatives in four days. A majority of them wouldn't even know that Bex would be being kept downstairs, and the guy who lives in the house, Jeremy Brookes, can't cancel the meeting because that would raise suspicion. And when COC operatives become suspicious…somebody gets killed."

I thought about this, "So this means that in four days there will be several people coming into the house?"

Zach nodded, "But the meeting is only for a select few of the Circle's main operatives. There's no way one of us could pose as somebody attending the meeting and not be blown. It's just not possible."

"How many main operatives would be attending?" I questioned.

"Mmm, maybe twenty would show up. Definitely just locals." Zach answered. "Why? What are you thinking?"

"Well…" I began. I had the boys' utmost attention as they listened to my plan. They mulled over my idea for a few minutes after I finished.

"Well, I think it could work," Zach said. Ryan nodded his head in agreement.

And so we began working. Almost the entire night was spent planning, mapping, assigning tasks, figuring out covers, etc. Yeah, I was exhausted as hell, but I was running on adrenaline; sleep could wait. Zach found a couple packets of horrible instant coffee that we all downed at about midnight.

At around 2 am, the diagram I had up on my computer was getting fuzzier and fuzzier. I rubbed my eyes, desperately trying to ignore the exhaustion. I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear, only for it to fall in my face as soon as I leaned forward again. Zach was sitting at the table and Ryan was on the floor with his laptop on the coffee table. I had curled up on the couch with my computer. The only noises were typing on keyboards, the occasional sigh of frustration, and every once in a while, when one of us found something important, a quick statement of information.

Trying to not allow myself get distracted, I continued working. When I felt someone sit down next to me on the couch I looked up.

"How's it going?" Zach asked, glancing at my computer screen. Dark circles were under his eyes, and stubble covered his face from not shaving. I knew he was just as tired as I was.

"Alright," I said. "Obviously, I only have a basic idea of the buildings layout and where the ideal vantage points are, but I think we have enough to go off of."

Ryan stood up from his laptop and stretched. He then began to pace the room before stopping and looking at Zach and I on the couch, "Are we really going to be able to do this by ourselves?" A frown of doubt covered his face.

I shot a look his way, annoyed at the fact that he was questioning the plan now. "Do we really have a choice?" I replied.

Ryan raked a hand through his hair. "I know, but we're talking about infiltrating a building filled with some of the best rogue operatives in the world, and then waltzing away with one of their most precious hostages. And we're doing it alone."

My nerves were shot from lack of sleep which is probably why I raised my voice in response, "Well yeah Ryan. We have _five_ days. That means there's not much room for making our timetable longer." I glared at him.

"There's also not much room for error." Ryan said quietly with a steely voice.

"I know that! Do you honestly think I would purposely walk into an op thinking it would be successful?"

"Well we might just be doing that! I don't want anything to happen to Bex, and this is our last chance to save her. There's no more do-overs Cammie."

My voice faltered when I spoke. "Bex is my best friend, I care about her just as much if not more than you do." I pulled myself together and continued. "If you don't believe in what we're trying to do here Ryan, then there's the door." I was standing and facing him. The table stood in between us.

We held each other's gaze until Ryan blinked.

"Fine," he said, holding up his hands. "I'll do anything for Bex, and I want to help you guys. I just don't want us making a crucial mistake."

I raised my eyebrows and gave him one final look, "Good. Now I need to sleep, I can't do this anymore."

Walking out of the room, I left Zach and Ryan and headed for the bathroom. I didn't have any other clothes to change into since we hadn't had time to grab our stuff before coming to the safe house. I flicked on the light in the bathroom and closed the door behind me. The grimy mirror faced me with the reflection of myself. I looked awful. If my appearance resembled anything like how this mission was going to end, I wanted to quit now.

The stress and pressure was going to get to me eventually, I knew it. But at that moment, all I could do was take some deep breaths and blink back tears. I wasn't upset Ryan had questioned me; he had been asking all the same questions that I had asked myself. And though I had told him we were doing the right thing, mentally, I wasn't so sure.

Turning on the tap, I splashed cold water over my complexion. When I turned the water off, I heard quiet voices coming from the other part of the house. No doubt it was Ryan and Zach, and they were probably talking about me. I squeezed my eyes shut, not allowing the thought that they were doubting me to consume my mind. I exited the bathroom quietly, flicking off the lights and walking almost silently to the bedroom that had several mattresses on the floor.

Grabbing a pillow out of the closet, I laid down on one of the mattresses and welcomed sleep. Zach and Ryan would come to bed eventually, and I wanted to be asleep before either of them came in. Luckily, no less than a minute later, I was asleep.

Bright sunlight that slipped through the blinds woke me up the next morning. Blinking and looking around, I noticed both Zach and Ryan were still asleep. Rolling off my mattress, I decided not to wake them. They had probably stayed up at least an hour after I did before finally going to bed so I figured they deserved to rest.

I made my way to the kitchen, with the intentions of getting something to eat. Halfway there, I passed our makeshift interrogation room and figured I should probably check on our little hostage.

I eased the door open and was relieved to find that Jason Snider was still handcuffed and sitting in his chair. He's feet were bound to the bottom of the chair and he looked pretty worn out. He looked up when I entered the room.

"Oh well if it isn't Cammie Morgan." Snider said with a sneer on my face.

Ignoring the fact that the scumbag knew my name, I walked over to him and lifted his hand, inspecting the injuries Zach had inflicted.

"How do you feel?" I asked with mock politeness.

"Like shit," Snider responded. I never responded until he spoke again. "So where will I go now?"

I sighed and walked over to lean against the wall so I was facing him. I shrugged.

"I'll leave that up to Zach and Ryan." Snider scoffed at my response.

"You know you're getting what you deserve." I said.

Snider shook his head. "Am I really? Do you think I had a choice to go into this business?"

"Everyone has a choice; look at Zach."

"He got lucky. Most of us get sucked in and there's no way to get out without getting killed. You have to spend your whole life making sure the other people don't outsmart you, otherwise this happens." Snider raised his cuffs.

I rolled my eyes, "I have no sympathy."

"Why? Because we killed your father?" I'll admit I flinched slightly when he mentioned my father. "You're father chose to go after the Circle, he only got what was coming to him." I felt my anger starting to boil at this guy so I headed toward the door.

"Just like you'll get what's coming to you." I said as I shut the door behind me with one last look at Snider.

This time I actually got all the way to the kitchen. Searching through cabinets, I looked for something to eat. I finally found a package of those disgusting instant noodle things, but I was hungry enough so I decided to eat them. After some more looking I found a pan and a measuring cup and began boiling water. I dumped the noodles in as the water bubbled and slowly stirred the mixture, completely lost in thought.

That's why when I felt two strong arms grab me from behind I instinctively elbowed the person who grabbed him and spun around to hit them again.

Instead of an intruder, I found Zach doubled over, clenching his side. "Geez, Gallagher Girl," he said when he finally found his breath.

I felt the adrenaline flow out of my body and I took a deep breath. "Sorry Zach, you scared me." I apologized as Zach stood up.

"That's alright," Zach gave me a half-smile. "I should have known better than to sneak up on you." He pulled me in for a hug, this time I allowed myself to melt against him.

"How late did you stay up?" I asked.

"Um, I think Ryan and I went to bed around four."

I shook my head. "I don't know how you do it, you must be exhausted."

Zach shrugged. "Occupational hazard."

I turned back to my food and switched the stove off. Dumping the noodles into a bowl, I made my way to the table. Papers and computers were everywhere, so I had to clear them away in order to make room for myself.

Zach looked at me, "Have you checked on our guest yet this morning?"

I blew on my forkful of noodles and nodded.

"How is he?"

I rolled my eyes and swallowed. "Still a dirtbag."

Zach chuckled. "You aren't supposed to let him get to you."

Just then, a semi-awake Ryan made his way into the kitchen. Rubbing his eyes, he pulled out the chair next to me and sat down.

"I can't wait to leave this place. Those mattresses are positively awful." He mumbled.

Zach smiled, "I'm with you man." I didn't say anything; I didn't know where we stood entirely after last night. I regretted what had been said and I hated the fact that there was tension.

"Look-" I started at the same time Ryan said, "I-". Ryan gave me a half-smile, letting me go. "I'm sorry about what I said last night. I was tired and my nerves were shot and I guess…" I trailed off, hoping he understood.

"It's perfectly alright, I understand. As you Americans say, no hard feelings?" Ryan replied.

I breathed a sigh of relief, "No hard feelings," I agreed.

I finished my breakfast, if it deserved to be called that, and was cleaning my bowl when I heard a ding. Ryan must have known it was his phone because he got up as soon as he heard it. He walked over to the coffee table and picked it up. After glancing at the screen a moment, he looked up to see Zach and I staring, waiting for him to explain.

"Riley just replied to a message I sent him last night. I asked him if we could turn Snider over to him and he said to bring him by and they'll take care of him from there." Ryan explained.

"Jane and Riley's place is in Dublin. While we're in town, we might as well start putting our plan in motion." I suggested.

"Exactly what I was thinking," Zach said. Glancing around, he added, "I think we should take our stuff to, so we can go back to a hotel."

Ryan glanced at his watch. "I'll tell Riley we'll be there in an hour and a half. Does that give us enough time?"

I looked and Zach and we both nodded.

An hour later, we were ready to go. The safe house was returned to its original sorry state and everything was loaded in the SUV. All that was left was Jason Snider.

I opened the door to the room we were keeping him in and Ryan walked in behind me. Zach was already out in the car waiting for us.

Ryan began to undo the knots that kept Snider bound the chair. After they were loose he grabbed Snider by the arm and pulled him up. Snider didn't say anything as he was lead to the car. I followed behind, making sure that he didn't try to pull anything.

Zach stood by the SUV with the back door open for Snider to go into. Ryan shoved Snider in and then got in after him. Zach shut the door and the two of us got in the front seats. After clicking my seatbelt I turned around to glance at Ryan and Snider. Snider stared straight ahead, avoiding eye contact.

Zach pressed the gas and I turned back around. We pulled away from the safe house and headed back toward Dublin. It was time to set our end-game in motion.

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><p><strong>Reviews, as always, are appreciated and are great motivators! Tell me what you think... :D<strong>

**~ Genuine QT**


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